X to charge money from new users for posting, liking and replying to tweets
Twitter aka X, which used to be a free to use social media platform, will soon start charging money from new users.
According to Elon Musk, new users joining X will have to pay a “small” fee for liking, posting, replying and even bookmarking tweets. Notable, account X daily news, which regularly posts update about news related to X was the first to notice that new users will be charged. The account noted that the website’s textual content has been revised to indicate that new users are required to pay a nominal yearly charge to gain access to the social network.
As per X daily news, the policy was previously active in New Zealand and the Philippines. It further reveals that the policy was initially being tested to help reduce spam and improve the experience for users overall. Responding to the tweet, Musk said, “Unfortunately, a small fee for new user writing access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots. Current AI (and troll farms) can pass “are you a bot” with ease.”
“The onslaught of fake accounts also uses up the available namespace, so many good handles are taken as a result,” he added.
Musk sure wants to combat spam bots by making X chargeable but he di not reveal how X plans to go about it and how it will prevent fake accounts and automated bots because those who send spam might just pay the small fee or make many accounts and wait until they can post messages. Normal users might not want to use the social network X because they have to do more to sign up, and also because they can use other social networks without paying anything.
The cost seems to be about $1, since it’s $1.75 in New Zealand money. This rule of paying to use the service is only in place in New Zealand and the Philippines right now.
Elon Musk has been vocal about his concerns regarding spam and bot accounts on Twitter, emphasizing the need for transparency and accuracy in user metrics. He believes that Twitter’s advertising-driven model contributes to the prevalence of these inauthentic accounts. Musk has suggested that Twitter’s reported user numbers could be inflated due to bots, which would mislead advertisers and investors.