X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, will begin charging new users $1 a year to access key features including the ability to tweet, reply, quote, repost, like, bookmark, and create lists, according to a source familiar with the matter. This change will go live today for new users in New Zealand and the Philippines.
Roughly 20 minutes after this story published, X’s Support account confirmed the details, writing that “this new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.”
Starting today, we’re testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts will be required to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to be able to post & interact with other posts. Within this test, existing users are not affected.
This new test was developed to bolster our already successful efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. It is not a profit driver.
And so far, subscription options have proven to be the main solution that works at scale.
— Support (@Support) October 17, 2023
The company published the “Not-a-Bot Terms and Conditions” today outlining its plan for a paid subscription service that gives users certain abilities on their platform, like posting content and interacting with other users. This program is different from X Premium, which offers more features like “Undo” and “Edit” for posts for $8 a month. Given the company’s tumultuous reputation under Musk, some users have voiced their hesitancy to turn over their credit card info.
X owner Elon Musk has long floated the idea of charging users $1 for the platform. During a livestreamed conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, Musk said “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots.”
Shortly after the announcement, Musk tweeted that you can “read for free, but $1/year to write.”
“It’s the only way to fight bots without blocking real users,” Musk wrote. “This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be 1000X harder to manipulate the platform.”
X CEO Linda Yaccarino was asked last month onstage at Vox’s Code Conference about how going to a full subscription model on X will affect revenue, something that is now going live to users today. Yaccarino answered at the time, “Did he say that or did he say he’s thinking about it?”
The general stupidity of this aside that’s something I’d actually be willing to pay for any and every online service I use even semi-regularly. Provided it would also help fight against tracking and hide ads.
I charge $1/month to send email on my email service. There’s a reason for that. It’s because it’s the smallest amount I can charge, and spammers are unlikely to pay anything, no matter how small, to send email. If they do, and I catch them, I’d probably be able to get their payment account suspended. So, I understand why this could be a good approach to combatting spam. Here’s the problem with Twitter doing it:
Elon has full control over the platform. It’s not like there are other providers that will block him if his users send a bunch of spam. He also has the ability to revoke all the messages that users have sent once they are discovered as spammers, whereas with email, once spam is sent, there’s nothing I can do about it.
Email is actually useful. Tweeting is just self promotion. No one coordinates their doctor appointment with Twitter.
Spam is basically the only thing keeping Twitter looking viable right now. Their users are leaving. Their advertisers are leaving. It’s maybe not the best time to be pushing the spammers away.
Elon’s whole mission or whatever is supposed to be “freeze peach”, but this goes against that. The “digital town square” where “everyone has a voice” can’t have a price tag.
NZ and Philippines are often early test markets for western markets and asia respectively. I’m thinking it’s likely that one of the marketing guys convinced Elon to slow his roll and that’s why it’s only rolling out to a small userbase, rather than being implemented for every user at once like his bad ideas always are.
I mean, it’s hard to steer me away from regular old stupidity and incompetence. I’d like to understand the logic for why he would intentionally run his $44 billion investment into the ground.
My father, a boomer technophobe, could easily see every decision he’s made has been foolish and stupid.
I am NOT in the “Musk is a supergenius” camp, but I’m incapable of believing he could be stupid enough to make every single one of these disastrous decisions by accident. That seems very clear to me even if I can’t sus out the motive.
He was far too flippant with his comments about buying twitter, then he was forced to when he didn’t actually want to. Now he’s on tilt and spiralling after making a 44 billion dollar mistake. IMO.
For likes, maybe. Retweets? That’s gotta be at least $100/month. That’s not outside the standard for being able to reuse posts from websites like shutterstock, and other sharable media websites.
He’s charging $1 a month to prevent bots on a site where bots have $8 blue checkmarks from stolen credit cards. He’s gonna get visa and MasterCard knocking if he starts being associated with Jagex style ccard fraud.
100% The man just loves “big” ideas that sound good on paper to investors, but don’t actually add anything. Idk what the answer to bots is, but this ain’t it, chief.
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even im that much of a loser to pay for twitter
That’s great news, he’s helping us accelerate the demise of twitter.
The general stupidity of this aside that’s something I’d actually be willing to pay for any and every online service I use even semi-regularly. Provided it would also help fight against tracking and hide ads.
Big brain time: Can’t have spam, manipulation and bots if you don’t have users.
I charge $1/month to send email on my email service. There’s a reason for that. It’s because it’s the smallest amount I can charge, and spammers are unlikely to pay anything, no matter how small, to send email. If they do, and I catch them, I’d probably be able to get their payment account suspended. So, I understand why this could be a good approach to combatting spam. Here’s the problem with Twitter doing it:
Elon making Twitter worse every day. Thanks god I deleted my acc years before he took over Twitter
And here I was thinking there were no new reasons to never create a Twitter account, 'ol Elon gives me one more.
Sinking lid policy, I love it. Honestly it’s like he’s trying to kill TwitX.
Omg I’m dying, why NZ and the Philippines?!
NZ literally just had a general election so it’s going to mess up a lot of whatever change in astroturfing was about to happen, is all I can think of.
NZ and Philippines are often early test markets for western markets and asia respectively. I’m thinking it’s likely that one of the marketing guys convinced Elon to slow his roll and that’s why it’s only rolling out to a small userbase, rather than being implemented for every user at once like his bad ideas always are.
Makes sense. I knew that about NZ and tech like cellphones, didn’t realise Philippines was the Asian test market though.
Is there anyone who still doesn’t believe he’s running it into the ground intentionally? Anyone at all? I’d like to understand your logic if so.
I mean, it’s hard to steer me away from regular old stupidity and incompetence. I’d like to understand the logic for why he would intentionally run his $44 billion investment into the ground.
My father, a boomer technophobe, could easily see every decision he’s made has been foolish and stupid.
I am NOT in the “Musk is a supergenius” camp, but I’m incapable of believing he could be stupid enough to make every single one of these disastrous decisions by accident. That seems very clear to me even if I can’t sus out the motive.
He was far too flippant with his comments about buying twitter, then he was forced to when he didn’t actually want to. Now he’s on tilt and spiralling after making a 44 billion dollar mistake. IMO.
It feels like a toss up between that and Elon huffing his own farts to the point of brain damage
Hanlon’s Razor.
Bro, just unplug it already
Way too low, should be more like $500 a year.
For likes, maybe. Retweets? That’s gotta be at least $100/month. That’s not outside the standard for being able to reuse posts from websites like shutterstock, and other sharable media websites.
Now just add reading tweXts to the $1 a year plan, the money isn’t enough to discourage someone but the hassle of setting up the payment is.
Xcretions
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He’s delusional if he thinks this will combat bots.
Oh no a bot owner can’t definitely afford $1 for each bot each year
To be fair you can use it like phone numbers to correlate accounts and just ban anyone who has the same cc on multiple accounts with bans.
i mean bots don’t use the same cc they use stolen ones
Right but it’s still probably pretty hard to get a few thousand stolen credit cards. Significantly harder than just getting the money.
He’s charging $1 a month to prevent bots on a site where bots have $8 blue checkmarks from stolen credit cards. He’s gonna get visa and MasterCard knocking if he starts being associated with Jagex style ccard fraud.
100% The man just loves “big” ideas that sound good on paper to investors, but don’t actually add anything. Idk what the answer to bots is, but this ain’t it, chief.