Ever since its inception, X has been plagued with controversies and scrutinized for its questionable practices. The latest incident involves the promotion of MrBeast’s video on the platform, which has raised concerns about X’s integrity and transparency. While it may not be engaging in shadow boosting, X’s approach to data representation remains misleading and undermines its credibility. This article delves into the dishonesty surrounding X’s measurements and how it affects the trust users and advertisers place in the platform.
Users of X observed MrBeast’s video appearing in their streams with the ad disclosure options, even though it was not designated as “Promoted.” This gave rise to speculations that X was exploiting its reach to maximize the view count and monetization potential of the video. However, X clarified that the ad disclosure pertained to pre-roll ads within the clip, not the clip itself. While X may not be shadow boosting the video, it is highly likely that the platform is utilizing every available means to promote it to a wider audience. The success of MrBeast’s video on X could greatly influence other video creators to join the platform. Nonetheless, X’s continuous use of misleading data regarding the MrBeast clip compromises its credibility.
Christopher Stanley, an X employee, defended the platform by arguing that the view counts for the MrBeast clip were even better than what users perceived. He claimed that X does not consider certain types of views that YouTube does. However, this claim is misleading. X’s post view count refers to the number of times a post appears in users’ feeds, irrespective of whether they watch or interact with the clip. In contrast, YouTube’s view count is calculated when a user watches at least 30 seconds of a video. Thus, YouTube’s view count provides a more accurate representation of actual interest. By knowingly sharing such misleading data, X undermines trust in its reported metrics while attempting to create the illusion of superior performance.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, is not innocent in this regard either. He often amplifies misleading data points, further sowing the seeds of doubt. For example, Musk shared data about web traffic that only constitutes a small portion of X’s total usage and Instagram’s overall activity. By comparing an insignificant fraction of X’s usage with an even smaller fraction of Instagram’s, the comparison becomes virtually meaningless. Musk is aware of this fact but continues to share it, reducing trust in X’s numbers. This smoke-and-mirrors approach to data only serves to deceive smaller advertisers that X is now targeting, rather than genuinely providing value and transparency.
Ultimately, X’s user count is inconsequential if major brands remain hesitant to advertise on the platform. The continuous controversies surrounding Elon Musk’s contentious opinions on divisive issues have made brands wary of resuming their ad campaigns on X. Despite the platform’s efforts to generate income through premium subscriptions, it is insufficient to save the company from losses. Drastic measures, such as further reducing the headcount, may be inevitable. X needs to swiftly regain its footing in the ad business to ensure its survival, as a billion users alone will not secure its financial stability.
X’s dishonesty in presenting data and misleading practices have severely damaged its credibility and trustworthiness. The MrBeast video controversy and the continuous amplification of misleading data points by Elon Musk have only exacerbated these issues. X’s disregard for transparency and accurate representation of metrics erodes confidence, both among users and advertisers. It is crucial for X to confront these issues head-on and reestablish trust if it hopes to thrive in the competitive social media landscape. Without genuine efforts to rectify these concerns, X will struggle to regain its primacy and financial viability.
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