Elon Musk: Only paid subscribers will show up in your Twitter ‘For You' feed
This is an unfair way to get people to pay for Twitter, as it should be a free service.Elon Musk has announced Twitter's latest push to get people to pay $84 a year for the social network: Twitter will promote only paid subscribers' tweets, and non-subscribers will not be allowed to vote in polls.
CNN New York --
Elon Musk announced Twitter's latest effort to encourage people to pay $84 per year for the social media network. Twitter will only promote paid subscribers' tweets and will ban non-subscribers from voting in polls.
Twitter's "For You" tab is the first screen users see when they open the app. It curates tweets using an algorithm. This means that it can display tweets from people you don’t follow. Soon, the For You tab will only recommend people who have paid for Twitter Blue premium service.
He tweeted Monday night that only verified accounts would be eligible for For You recommendations starting April 15th. "The only real way to stop advanced AI bot swarms from taking over is through the. Otherwise, it is a losing battle. For the same reason, voting in polls will need verification.
Users can increase their followers by appearing in the "For You" feed. Although voting in polls isn't beneficial to all users, blocking others from voting might encourage them to sign up for the premium service.
Musk often posts polls on Twitter asking users anything from whether he should resign as CEO of the platform to selling shares of Tesla stock (TSLA).
Musk claimed that Twitter was making changes to combat bot accounts. However, he later tweeted, "That said, it's okay to have verified bot accounts provided they follow terms and don't impersonate humans."
This is part of Musk’s plan to make Twitter less dependent on advertising dollars. Since Musk assumed control in October, a significant amount of Twitter's advertising base has left the platform.
Musk announced last week that those who had received a blue checkmark for free - usually celebrities and government officials - would be losing that verification beginning in April unless the user agrees to pay a $84 annual or $8 per month subscription fee.
Musk and William Shatner, actor, clashed over Twitter this weekend when Shatner opposed the idea of paying to have the checkmark marked.
"Hey URL, what's this about blue check going away unless you pay Twitter?" Shatner tweeted. "I've been here 15 years, giving my time and witty thoughts all to bupkis. Are you telling me I must pay for something that you gave me free of charge?
Musk replied to Shatner's tweet on Sunday: "It's more important about treating everyone equally." Celebrities shouldn't have to be treated differently.