Numerous subreddits are banning X links in their communities.

In the last 24 hours, numerous communities within Reddit have decided to block links to X, a movement that seems to be gaining momentum. More than two dozen subreddits, collectively totaling millions of members, have restricted the posting of content from X in various ways. Among them are major subreddits like r/formula1, with nearly 5 million members, as well as smaller communities like r/ultraman, which has 30,000 members.

This movement has gained popularity, partly thanks to r/newjersey, whose moderators announced the ban on links to X on Tuesday. In their post, they stated: “No more of this type of content. Links to X are now banned in r/newjersey,” which garnered over 65,000 upvotes. Along with the announcement, they shared an image of Elon Musk making gestures that have been negatively interpreted in the context of his remarks during Donald Trump’s inauguration, which has been a topic of discussion on social media.

Quickly, other subreddits joined this trend, echoing the message from r/newjersey. Among the communities that have also blocked links to X are r/military, r/comics, r/casualnintendo, and r/spiderman, among many others. The moderators of r/newjersey clarified that they were not trying to start a viral trend, although they acknowledged that if their announcement sparked debates about the role of social media today, they considered it a positive outcome.

The moderators of r/formula1 argued that access to X has become more complicated for users who are not registered, mentioning that in their view, Twitter has deteriorated in quality due to login requirements, the proliferation of bots, and the promotion of sensationalist content. Instead of X, they encourage their members to share content from Bluesky, which allows viewing without needing to log in.

On the other hand, r/antiwork, which has 2.9 million members, prohibits links and screenshots from all social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. The moderators explained that they would prefer the message of their community to be expressed organically, without relying on other platforms.

Other subreddits, such as r/dnd, r/baseball, and r/Xmen, are conducting polls about the possible implementation of similar measures. However, not all moderators are receptive to these proposals. For instance, a moderator from r/chess pointed out that the ban could cause logistical problems, as Twitter is a significant source of content for that community. Similarly, a moderator from r/fauxmoi, focused on gossip, mentioned that they preferred to keep links in order to verify the authenticity of the screenshots shared.

This protest phenomenon is not new on Reddit, but it is significant that so many communities are seeking to eliminate a popular source of content from their forums.