Since it first launched as Twitter nearly two decades ago, hashtags have been a ubiquitous part of the X social media platform experience, as they helped users boost the visibility of their posts or easily search for posts from others about certain topics.

Beginning on Friday, however, per X owner Elon Musk, the use of hashtags will be banned from ads on the popular platform, as he views them as an "esthetic nightmare," according to Breitbart.

The announced hashtag ban, which only applies to ads and not regular posts, received a mixed response from users, and is just one of a few new changes to how advertisements will work and be displayed on the platform.

No more hashtags in ads

Early Thursday morning, Musk wrote in an X post, "Starting tomorrow, the esthetic nightmare that is hashtags will be banned from ads on X."

Musk has long complained about what an unsightly mess hashtags have become on the platform, and according to X's AI engine, Grok, they are no longer necessary to group content on specific topics together, as the platform's algorithms have become more advanced and sophisticated.

The new rule could significantly change the way that some businesses utilize the platform to reach potential customers, as some brands have been built up around the oft-used hashtags and relied upon them to ensure their ads were being seen.

The announced ban sparked plenty of conversation and debate in the reply comments to Musk's post, as some users cheered the move while others were confused, and still others argued that X should focus more on addressing other pressing issues, such as the prevalence of "spam bots" in comments and direct messages, pornography, and other glitches like the occasional automatic reset of a feed while scrolling.

Hashtags still recommended for regular users

Notably, the hashtag ban only applies to paid ads on the X platform, and The Hill reported that X's Grok still recommends the use of hashtags by regular users to "boost visibility and engagement" on a particular post.

"Use 1-2 relevant hashtags per post to avoid looking spammy. Research trending, niche hashtags with tools like X's search. Engage with hashtag communities and post during peak times for maximum reach. Rotate hashtags to stay fresh and avoid filters. Place hashtags mid-tweet for better engagement or at the end for a cleaner look," the platform's AI suggested.

All of that seemingly conflicts with Musk's advice to users last year to stop using hashtags altogether because they are "ugly" and unnecessary, but Grok added, "While Elon Musk has criticized hashtags, data supports their effectiveness for regular posts."

"Whole screen" ads to cost more

Meanwhile, according to NewsBytes, the hashtag ban was just one of two major changes to ads on the X platform that Musk announced on Thursday.

Roughly 15 hours after his first announcement, Musk revealed that the size of the ads that users see in their feeds would also potentially be altered.

He posted, "X is moving to charging for ads based on vertical size, so an ad that takes up the whole screen would cost more than an ad that takes up 1/4 of the screen, otherwise, the incentive is to create giant ads that impair the user experience."

Of course, some businesses will have no qualms about paying more for "whole screen" ads versus half or quarter-screen ads, so users can expect that their experience on the platform may still be impaired to an extent.