Musk's X Embraces Consensual Adult Content, Formalising Previous Twitter Policy
X now officially permits users to submit consensual pornographic content, which is consistent with a previous policy in existence during its Twitter days. The website tries to protect minors from adult content and provides options for people who do not want to see it. X forbids content that promotes exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization, harm to minors, and obscene behaviour.
This decision formalises a policy that was already in place when the network was known as Twitter, before being acquired by billionaire Elon Musk in 2022.
The San Francisco-based company recently changed its website to clarify that users should be able to create, distribute, and consume sexually themed content as long as it is done with consent. X acknowledges that sexual expression, whether visual or verbal, can be an acceptable form of artistic expression.
It's worth mentioning that explicit content was already allowed on the network prior to Musk's involvement, but without a formal policy. X now intends to prevent youngsters from accessing explicit content while also providing options for adult users who do not wish to view such content.
However, X is explicit about its boundaries. The site clearly prohibits content that promotes exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization, minor damage, and obscene behaviour. Furthermore, the distribution of adult content in highly visible areas, such as user profile images or banners, is strictly forbidden.
This restriction distinguishes X from other social networking platforms, such as Meta's Instagram and Facebook, TikTok, and Google's YouTube, which offer stronger guidelines for explicit content.
Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor of communication at Cornell University, feels X's choice to accept pornographic content is consistent with the company's post-Musk marketing approach. X intends to be unabashedly provocative and stand out from its "brand safe" competition.
The platform appears to be aggressively recruiting innovators and artists who have felt marginalised by other social media platforms that limit nudity and sexual expression. By embracing consensual adult content, X allows these people to freely express themselves.
X now formally allows users to post consensual adult content, aligning with a previous policy in place during its Twitter days.
The platform aims to restrict adult content from children and offers options for users who prefer not to see such content.
X prohibits content promoting exploitation, nonconsent, objectification, sexualization, harm to minors, and obscene behaviors.
Source: AP NEWS