Elon Musk is after something new again. He is getting ready to introduce the new Twitter monthly fee that all the users will have to pay.
In a surprising move, Elon Musk, the visionary owner of X Corp, formerly known as Twitter, has announced a significant change in the social network’s subscription model. Musk’s recent live-streamed conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shed light on the company’s strategy to combat the persistent issue of bots on the platform. Twitter, or rather X, is set to introduce a “small monthly payment,” which is now called the “Twitter monthly fee,” for its users, marking a notable shift from its previous subscription structure.
What is the reason behind the Twitter monthly fee?
Since Elon Musk took the reins at Twitter, the platform has undergone a series of transformations. Now, it seems Musk is determined to tackle one of the platform’s most notorious challenges – the proliferation of bots. During his conversation with Netanyahu, Musk revealed that X currently boasts an impressive 550 million “monthly users” who churn out a staggering 100-200 million posts each day. This colossal user base, however, has brought with it an unwelcome swarm of bots.
X ID verification is what Twitter needed for a long time
While Musk did not divulge the exact cost of the impending subscription or the additional perks it might offer, he made a compelling case for the change. He explained that a subscription fee would raise the bar for bots attempting to create accounts. Each bot would require a unique credit card for registration, rendering mass bot invasions considerably more difficult. “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” Musk asserted. “Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny – call it a tenth of a penny – but even if it has to pay a few dollars or something, the effective cost of bots is very high,” he reasoned.
Dealing with bot troubles from the past
Twitter has had a tough time dealing with bots in the past. Last year, the person in charge of security at Twitter, Peiter Zatko, told the US Congress that they don’t really know how many bots are on the site. In fact, bots were one reason why Elon Musk was unsure about buying Twitter at first, but he eventually decided to do it.
A sneak peek into X’s future
This change in how X does things hints at more exciting things to come. Elon Musk mentioned that X plans to offer a new, cheaper option compared to the $8 monthly fee for the premium Blue service. Beyond just fixing the bot problem, Musk and Netanyahu talked about other important issues, like how artificial intelligence (AI) should be regulated and how to handle hate speech and antisemitism on X.
You can now hide Twitter Blue checkmark, if you have one
Musk made it clear that he’s against any form of hate or conflict and doesn’t want anyone attacking any group of people. However, some experts worry that under Musk’s leadership, X might be too lenient with accounts that were suspended in the past for spreading hate or causing trouble.
As we look forward to X’s future, it’s clear that big changes are on the way. Elon Musk’s plan for a safer and better social network is sure to grab everyone’s attention, and we’ll be keeping an eye on how it all unfolds. Stay tuned for updates as X continues to evolve in the world of technology.
Featured image credit: Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash
