By Jai Hamid
April 18, 2024
Elon Musk confirms new users of X (formerly Twitter) will have to pay a “small fee” to post, like, bookmark, or reply.
The fee is introduced to combat the surge in bot activity and fake accounts, exacerbated by advanced AI.
Significant staff cuts, including the content moderation team, under Musk’s leadership have led to an increase in spam.
Elon Musk, the man unfortunately in charge of what used to be Twitter, has stirred up yet another controversy. He’s now set on making new users cough up cash just to tweet, like, bookmark, or even reply. This is him trying to usher in a whole new era for the platform, where access isn’t just about logging in but also paying up.
Paywall Incoming for New Users
Straight from the horse’s mouth, Musk admitted that X would start charging newbies for what used to be free. The fee, which he did not quantify, is ostensibly to combat bots—an issue he seems fixated on. According to Musk, advancements in AI have made it too easy for bots to bypass traditional security checks, leading to a surge in fake accounts. He seems to think making real humans pay is the solution.
Last year, X dabbled with a payment model in New Zealand and the Philippines, charging a nominal annual fee. Based on Musk’s recent comments, this wasn’t just a test run but the beginning of a broader strategy to implement fees globally.
Musk’s rationale? He’s tired of bots and fake accounts overrunning the platform. He also mentioned that the fee might be temporary, perhaps just for the first three months after a user signs up—a grace period, if you will, to see if it helps clean up the platform.
Controversial Changes and Community Backlash
Musk’s tenure has been nothing short of dramatic. Since taking over in late 2022, he’s chopped the workforce, including the team responsible for keeping the platform clean of spam and inappropriate content. This decision, predictably, led to a noticeable increase in spam—exactly the problem he now claims to solve with a fee.
Furthermore, anyone can now buy their way into verification on X, granting their posts and replies more visibility. This change, unsurprisingly, hasn’t been received well by all, with some users pointing out that it’s only increased the visibility of spam, rather than curbing it.
Musk previously hinted that the fee structure might extend beyond new users to all users. Yes, you heard that right. Everyone might have to pay to tweet if Musk’s plans unfold as hinted.
Financially, things haven’t been looking great for X either. Advertisers have been jumping ship, wary of Musk’s hardcore free speech stance and his tolerance for edgier content. This has reportedly led to a sharp decline in revenue—a trend that’s worrying for any platform that relies heavily on ad dollars.
Initial reports of these changes appeared on X Daily News, framing the fee as a way to reduce spam and improve user experience. However, Musk’s comments about the necessity of the fee, its potential duration, and its scope leave many questions unanswered. What’s clear is that following accounts and browsing will remain free, which prvides little consolation for those upset by the new pay-to-participate model.
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Jai Hamid is a passionate writer with a keen interest in blockchain technology, the global economy, and literature. She dedicates most of her time to exploring the transformative potential of crypto and the dynamics of worldwide economic trends.
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