Today seems to be a bad day for all Twitter or X users because the latest word is that Elon Musk is going to start charging everyone to use the platform. This means that even if you are not a Blue subscriber, you will still have to pay for the platform to be able to use it. Which does defeat the purpose of it in the first place, but at this point, we cannot say for sure.
Twitter going paid-only is not only going to hurt the website but could also harm user retention, as they would start shifting to alternatives
This revelation happened during a live-stream conversation between Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During this conversation, Musk talked about how Twitter/X is headed toward being a paid platform for all users.
According to Musk, “a small monthly payment for use of the X system” is the way forward if “vast armies of bots” are to be dealt with.
“Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny — call it a tenth of a penny — but even if (a bot maker) has to pay a few dollars, the effective cost of bots is very high,” exclaimed Musk. At the time of writing, Musk did not reveal what it would cost to use Twitter and how the prices would be less than what the Blue subscription costs, but he did mention that the bot makers will need to register a new payment for each bot that they create. This will, of course, prevent them from creating several bots, which, according to him, has become a problem on Twitter.
We are also not sure when the new feature is going to be available, but considering Musk's history with Twitter and how fast we have seen the platform change, it might happen any day. Musk also revealed how the platform has 550 million users who share up to 200 million tweets on a daily basis, but this number is, of course, going to decline once the platform becomes paid-only.
Honestly, this is something that does not surprise me but, at the same time, does leave a taste of disappointment. I have always loved Twitter for its simple, no-nonsense discourse, and despite a million changes, I still actively use the platform for its intended purpose. I do understand Musk's point about keeping the bots away, but at the same time, I believe there could be ways through which bots are entirely taken care of.
Will you still use Twitter if it goes paid-only for all users, or are you going to shift to something else like Threads? Let us know your opinion on this issue in the comments below.
WccftechContinue reading/original-link]
