X, formerly Twitter, is set to introduce a novel feature enabling users to share their community posts with all followers, reminiscent of posting in a Slack channel.
The new X feature, recently announced by an X engineer, is currently available on iOS and is anticipated to roll out on the web and Android platforms shortly. Users desiring to broadcast a community post can do so by selecting the "Also send to followers" option while posting in a community, rendering the post visible on the poster's profile.
Keeping Up with The Competition
X Engineer Dongwook tweeted: "Hello friends! We just released a new feature in the latest iOS update.When you post to a community, you can now also 'share the post with your followers'. Community post will be broadcasted to your followers and visible in your profile."
While the social media platform's communities are open for public viewing, those not affiliated with a specific community cannot partake in direct replies to the broadcasted post, according to TechCrunch. However, users looking to engage with such community posts can employ the "quote" function. It remains uncertain if X intends to allow communities to block broadcasts.
In recent months, Elon Musk's social media platform X has dedicated efforts to augmenting its community features, positioning itself for heightened competition with platforms like Reddit and Facebook. Key enhancements include post sorting for pinned communities, an option to showcase communities on user profiles, and enabling private accounts to join communities.
A strategic addition in October was the implementation of a gatekeeping feature, empowering administrators of restricted communities to pose questions to prospective members before determining access based on their responses, according to Techeconomy. While community creation was initially a privilege for premium accounts, X broadened this capacity to users in Japan during the same month. Furthermore, X has strategically incorporated posts from joined communities into its algorithmic feed, denominated "For You," over recent months.
Allegations of Far-Right Disinformation on X Spur Violent Unrest in Dublin
In a separate development, X is under scrutiny for allegedly amplifying far-right disinformation in Ireland, contributing to violent riots that unfolded in Dublin last month. Following a stabbing incident that had occurred earlier in the day on Nov. 23, disturbances broke out as a result of false reports on X that the attacker was an illegal immigrant.
According to a CBS News report, the influence of regional far-right figures with sizable followings on X was what caused the violent upheaval that resulted in looting and the burning of public vehicles. Matthew Donoghue, an assistant professor at University College Dublin, underscored the coordinated efforts within the far-right on X, asserting, "They were able to get a lot of people there very quickly to basically take control of that situation and direct it."
Eileen Culloty from Dublin City University shed light on a core group of right-wing influencers leveraging X to promote ethno-nationalist ideals and orchestrate the riots.
A recent Institute for Strategic Dialogue study corroborates the social media platform's role, indicating that X is extensively utilized by prominent actors in Ireland's misinformation ecosystem, with the platform boasting the highest number of far-right accounts among those scrutinized.
