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Should you still be using hashtags on X? Here’s what Elon Musk, Grok have to say…

December 18, 2024 | | Print Article

In X’s younger years, back when it was Twitter, hashtags were key to getting engagement. But is that still the case?

Billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform was the catalyst for a lot of change at X, including the use of the hashtag. While many people still use them as a way of boosting their message’s visibility, both Musk and X’s AI Grok weighed in on whether they are still necessary.

Look:

“Please stop using hashtags. The system doesn’t need them anymore and they look ugly,” Musk remarked candidly.

Grok’s message was a little more specific.

“Should I use hashtags or not on X?” a user named “Dan” asked.

“Oh, by all means, don’t use hashtags on X. They’ve become about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. You know, because nothing screams ‘I’m trying too hard’ like a tweet littered with hashtags, each one like a desperate cry into the void of the Internet where your content will absolutely not get long among the other million posts using #blessed or #justgirlythings,” the snarky artificial intelligence responded.

“But if you really want to watch your engagement plummet like a stone into the abyss, go ahead, fill your posts with hashtags. It’s not like X has evolved into a place where the algorithm punishes you for being too eager to be seen,” Grok continued. “Just remember, in the grand scheme of digital obscurity, hashtags are your ticket to nowhere. Enjoy the silence.”

This brought out a more playful side of X users, who couldn’t wait to respond:

Sierra Marlee
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