New algorithm to amplify small creators on X, says Musk

Social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), will be rolling out a “major update to the recommendation algorithm”, according to a 11 November 2023 post by its owner, Elon Musk.

The update aims to “surface smaller accounts and posts” outside of users’ networks of friends and followers, enabling users to find accounts relevant to their interests that they might not have come across within their own circles. At the same time, the update would also expose smaller creators to wider audiences.

“As always, this will be made open source and undergo continuous improvement,” Musk added.

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The update comes in line with X’s overall move towards a content-driven platform. In April 2023, the platform launched Subscriptions creators, a programme that helps eligible content creators to earn a monthly income from the content they create. Under the programme, X users can pay the platform to subscribe to these content creators, giving creators the chance to earn a living from their content on the platform. 

In the same vein, the platform's ad revenue-sharing programme, launched in February 2023, also aimed to help people earn a living directly on X. Under the programme, eligible premium subscribers could share revenue from verified users’ organic impressions of ads displayed in replies to content posted on the platform. The first revenue payouts to content creators were made in July 2023. 

Other efforts driven towards supporting content creation on the platform include a "Highlights" tab, which enable Blue subscribers to showcase their best posts on a dedicated feed on their profiles. X also recently expanded the capacity for long-form posts to 25,000 characters and added new video feature updates to improve user experiences with content on the platform. 

At the same time, X has also increased its efforts to attract advertisers to the platform. In August 2023, it signed a deal with global media measurement and optimisation platform Integral Ad Science (IAS) to provide brands with enhanced safety tools. The partnership provided advertisers with IAS’ pre-bid brand safety and suitability product across the platform. From it, marketers could enjoy greater control and optomisation of their quality media investments.

“At X, balancing free expression and platform safety is our number one priority – and we are proving these two things are not at odds,” said Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, at the time.

“Growing our partnership with IAS offers brands a new level of protection and transparency as they continue to grow on X.”

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