Priyanka Tiwari
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Suspense crime, Digital Desk : In his latest move to reshape the user experience on X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk has announced a sweeping ban on the use of hashtags in all advertisements on the platform. The change, which goes into effect immediately, was driven by Musk's personal disdain for the practice, which he bluntly called an "aesthetic nightmare."
Starting tomorrow, the esthetic nightmare that is hashtags will be banned from ads on ????
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 26, 2025
This policy change applies only to paid advertisements. Regular, organic posts from users and brands can still use hashtags freely to categorize content and join trending conversations. However, advertisers will no longer be able to include hashtags in their promoted posts to increase visibility or create branded campaigns.
The move is part of Musk's ongoing and often controversial overhaul of the platform's look and feel. His stated goal is to reduce clutter and create a cleaner, more streamlined interface for users. By eliminating what he sees as ugly and spammy-looking hashtags from paid content, he aims to make advertisements less obtrusive and more visually appealing.
For advertisers, this marks a significant shift in strategy. They will no longer be able to use paid promotion to amplify a branded hashtag campaign (like #BrandNewProduct) or piggyback on a popular trending topic to get more eyes on their ads. Instead, they will have to rely more on the strength of their creative copy and visuals to capture user attention.
This decision is the latest in a long line of rapid-fire changes implemented under Musk's ownership, forcing advertisers and users alike to constantly adapt to his evolving vision for the platform.
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