X is experiencing another issue within the platform, and this time, it's not directly caused by owner Elon Musk. A glitch may have caused tweets (posts) with photos and links to be removed or be broken, given that they were from before December 2014.
X Glitch Affects Old Tweets
Not all tweets were affected by the glitch, but users can't view select old posts that had photos attached. Hyperlinks to other sites that use the t.co format were no longer working, which were converted through the URL shortener of what was previously Twitter.
Since users were only able to post videos by 2016 when the platform added the feature, none were affected by the glitch. Since it has only affected past tweets, no one knows when the problem even started, only that it has not affected tweets beyond 2014 so far.
One of the affected tweets was the iconic group picture uploaded by Ellen DeGeneres beside several famous actors, which was from the 2014 Oscars. The tweet got over two million retweets and became the "most retweeted ever," as mentioned in The Verge.
Fortunately, the photo has already been restored. X owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino are yet to address the problem, although it may just be another effect of Musk's mass layoffs when he acquired the company last year.
Based on the time stamps of the affected posts, it could be due to the changes that the platform made back in 2016, wherein "enhanced URL enrichment" was used to show previews for linked websites. It also excludes links in the character limit of Twitter.
It's also not clear whether the issue has already been fixed or if all affected tweets have been restored. One thing is for sure, Musk has kept the company busy as he tries to rebrand the platform into his vision of an "everything app."
X Could Use a Break
The social media site has been going through a lot of changes ever since Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired it. Some are admittedly good, while most are not as appealing to their users. Some of the changes have even driven users away from the platform.
X, formerly and still recognized as Twitter, started getting major issues when Musk significantly decreased the workforce. One of the first problems involved moderation in the site. A lot of users were able to get past moderation policies by tweeting content that violated it.
A lot of other issues followed soon after. Musk being a free-speech absolutist, wanted the social media site's users to be able to say whatever they wanted. Predictably, this caused a lot of backlash from other users who were harassed on the platform.
Advertisers were particularly concerned about the change, especially since these posts could appear alongside their ads. As a result, a lot of big clients decided to leave Twitter/X and take their business elsewhere.
This was only the beginning as more problems emerged, and many of them were caused by Musk's controversial decisions. Until now, the microblogging site is still undergoing changes that affect major features that users have already gotten used to over the years.
