- Some X users complain that the site is full of ads pushing crypto and artificial intelligence applications.
- The exodus of advertisers has left Company X reliant on less popular buyers, social media experts say.
- Elon Musk told major advertisers in November that they were cutting spending because of his comments.
Elon Musk’s war on advertisers appears to be having some unintended consequences for X.
Some users have complained that the site is filled with low-quality ads such as promotions for “stripped” AI apps and questionable cryptocurrency services, with social media and advertising experts telling Business Insider that the deteriorating quality of paid posts on X is a direct result of… Exodus of major advertisers from the platform.
In recent weeks, users have been critical of the increasing prominence of these ads, with some even adding community notes touting suspicious promotions in an attempt to warn others of the risks of losing their money.
Other suspicious ads were spotted on the site, with users also complaining about an increase in ads on their timelines for “stripping” apps. Using artificial intelligence, these apps allow users to create fake nude photos of real people.
These ads violate X Terms of Servicewhich prohibits the promotion of adult sexual content.
them too It spreads quickly across the InternetAccording to data from social media analysis firm Graphika, which warns that such tools could be used for sextortion and targeted harassment campaigns.
X did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
“Big advertisers have actually pulled out.”
It’s not unusual for suspicious ads to appear on social media sites, with companies like Meta having to do so We apologize for the scam ads related to cryptocurrencies in the past.
But advertising and social media experts told BI just so Migration of major advertisers Most likely, it left X more reliant on smaller, less popular ad buyers — to the detriment of users on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Jeff McDonald, director of social strategy at ad agency Mekanism, told BI that the fact that nudity ads were winning placement bids on
“It also shows the race to the bottom that the X platform has fallen into,” he added.
There may still be a long way to go in this race, as 404 media reported last month Advertisements promoting “semen theft” appeared on the site.
Hamza Mudassir, a strategic consultant and lecturer at the University of Cambridge, pointed out the appearance of suspicious ads across all social media platforms.
“However, I think the problem with
“Company X has made it very clear that they do not want to create a brand-safe environment.”
Musk’s behavior on his platform has prompted major advertisers to take action.
Apple, Disney and many others They said they would stop spending on the site in November after Musk endorsed an anti-Semitic post. Then he said it infamously Advertisers to “Go fuck yourselves” He described their actions as blackmail.
Since taking over the site, Musk has done just that He reduced X’s content moderation team It brought back figures like Alex Jones who had previously been removed from the platform due to his abusive behavior, which Making advertisers visibly uncomfortable Even before the billionaire’s recent controversies.
“Most of our clients had already begun to devalue X as a platform for meaningful connections with their customers before Musk’s behaviors,” MacDonald said.
“The fact that Company
Now, the advertiser exodus has left CEO Linda Yaccarino scrambling to plug a growing revenue black hole, with internal documents seen by The New York Times indicating the company was on track to lose as much as $75 million in ad revenue by the end of 2023. .
The Financial Times reported last month That X was trying to make up for the loss of companies like IBM and Walmart by attracting and seeking to bring in small businesses $100 million in political advertising During the 2024 election year.
“We’re seeing advertising costs decline as X becomes more desperate to attract advertisers, so we’re starting to see some of these lower-quality ads,” Matt Navarra, a social media expert, told BI.
“I think as we see big advertisers and big brands pulling back, there will be some padding through low-quality advertising, small businesses and political advertisers, but I don’t know if that will make a real impact,” he said. On the revenue gap.”