World’s richest man and US President-elect Donald’s Trump ‘first buddy’, Elon Musk has yet again stunned the world with his unhinged take on issues. This time, he has turned his ire against the use of ‘Hashtags’ on his popular micro-blogging site, X (formerly Twitter).
Incidentally, it all began when a user shared his interactions with AI chatbot from X, Grok, over the issue of ‘usefulness of Hashtags’. Within a short span, the post went viral with Elon Musk too chipping in with his no-holds bard attitude. Going hammer and tongs on the use of Hashtags, Musk dubbed hashtags “outdated” and, in his own words, “ugly.”
Here’s what actually transpired
The discussion began after a user shared a screenshot of Grok’s response to whether hashtags are still relevant. Grok’s answer was blunt: hashtags are like “a screen door on a submarine” and a “ticket to nowhere.”
In a scathing take on Hashtags, Grok stressed that nothing screams “I’m trying too hard,” like a tweet littered with hashtags… where your content will absolutely not get lost among the other million posts using #blessed or #justgirlythings.
Joining the debate on Hashtags, Musk agreed with Grok in his reply. He wrote, “Please stop using hashtags. The system doesn’t need them anymore, and they look ugly.”
It soon triggered a divided response from netizens. While a section of X users praised Musk’s perspective that hashtags have outlived their usefulness in today’s algorithm-driven platform. Some countered him, insisting that hashtags help smaller creators and businesses ensure that their content is more organized, thus improving overall visibility.
The latest episode reflects how Musk has been making attempts to conform X to his vision. With his no-nonsense and blasting take on Hashtags, it could be counting its last days.
Still, only time will tell whether hashtags will go the way of the dodo or continue playing a role in distinguishing one from all others in an already-overcrowded digital existence. Time alone will answer how creators and users would adapt to the constantly evolving platform under Elon Musk.
