Elon Musk's New X Ad Format Leads to Transparency Concerns—Here's Why

(Photo : JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)
SpaceX, Twitter and electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends an event during the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, on June 16, 2023.

Many platform users quickly noticed that Elon Musk released a new X ad format. Experts said the new advertisement scheme could be one of the socmed firm's least transparent products.

They added that the new X ad format indicates that the online platform struggles to attract advertising partners. If you're an X user, here are other major details you need to know.

X Users Notice a New Ad Format on the Platform

According to Mashable's latest report, the new ad format on X creates transparency concerns among users. Numerous people said that they are seeing weird advertisements on the platform.

They complain that the new ads on X don't disclose who is behind them or don't even confirm if those weird posts are advertisements.

Another issue with the new ad format is that it doesn't allow users to like or retweet advertising posts. What's more alarming about this new ad scheme is that it consists of a photo, written copy text, and a fake avatar.

Critics claim that all these elements make the advertisements look like an organic X post. Experts who properly reviewed the new X ads said that these advertisements are similar to those spammy, low-quality "chumbox" ads.

This means that the new X ad format is copying the strategy used by clickbait advertisers on content farm sites. Here are some of the captions used by advertisers on the new X ad format:

"This Seems Unbelievable, But Happens in Dubai Everyday"
"If you suffer from ringing ears you're going to love this recent breakthrough"
"These Incredibly Cool Gadgets That Are Going To Sell Out This Year. Acton Now!"

X's Other Efforts to Attract Advertisers

(Photo : CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)
This illustration photo created in Los Angeles, California, on July 24, 2023, shows the Twitter bird logo in the background of the Twitter page of Elon Musk, advertising a possible X as a replacement Twitter logo. Elon Musk killed off the Twitter logo on July 24, 2023.

Aside from the new ad format, The Verge recently reported that the popular social media site plans to release three new paid tiers.

Enthusiasts claim that these new subscription services will help X to compensate for its poor ad revenue. These are the upcoming Premium Basic, Premium Standard, and Premium Plus.

All these three tiers will be based on the existing X Premium service, which costs $8 monthly. As of writing, Elon Musk hasn't confirmed their exact pricing.

However, leakers who acquired the X iOS update code revealed that each of these new tiers will vary by user ads. If you want to learn more about X's upcoming ad-based subscription tiers, you can click this link.