If you too are wondering why you are seeing posts on X (formerly Twitter) that you don’t like or posts from someone you don’t even follow, you are not the only one who feels this way. We are all on your team. This confusion about how the algorithm for X actually works has probably reached Elon Musk. In a recent post on X, Musk explained how X’s algorithm actually works, and he said that “it’s not smart enough”.

“The X algorithm assumes that if you interact with content, you want to see more of that content,” Musk said in the post.

According to Musk, the secret behind what pops up on your feed is none other than you. That’s right, your likes, shares, and the posts you linger on for a long time shape the content you see. But we already knew that, right? Musk explains that X’s algorithm is essentially a mirror, reflecting the topics and accounts you interact with the most. So, if you’re spending too much time watching cat videos, don’t be surprised when your feed turns into a celebration of cats. I have a cat timeline, and I’m not complaining. However, what about some of the extremist content I keep seeing on my timeline? Neither have I posted any of that content, nor liked it, or even shared it.

“One of the strongest signals is that if you forward X Post to friends, it assumes you like that content a lot, because it takes effort to forward it,” Musk said in the post.

Musk claims that if you ever try to share a post with someone, X assumes you find it really important because you want to go through all the trouble of copying the link and sharing it with someone. So, it starts showing you even more of the same content. Musk says that it doesn’t matter if you’re offended by the post or not. Because X isn’t “smart” enough yet to understand why someone is sharing it.

“Unfortunately, if you sent this content to your friends because you were offended by it, we’re not smart enough yet to understand that,” the post added.

Musk’s tweet highlights X’s continued mission to keep you scrolling, ensuring that the content you care about (or at least what the algorithm thinks you care about) keeps popping up on your screen. Whether you find it brilliant or not, one thing’s for sure—Musk knows how to keep people talking. And in true Musk fashion, he’s leaving it up to users to decide how they want to navigate their own algorithmic rabbit holes on X.