In a move that’s been both anticipated and dreaded, Elon Musk has followed through on his promise to introduce mandatory fees on the social media giant X (formerly known as Twitter). With the company reportedly facing financial challenges, new users will now have to pay a $1 fee to access the full functionality of the platform.
Long-time Twitter/X users need not worry; existing accounts won’t be subject to these fees, at least not yet. According to Fortune, the payment program, humorously named ‘Not A Bot’, is initially being rolled out in New Zealand and the Philippines. However, many speculate that this is just the beginning of a broader implementation.
For new users who choose not to pay, their capabilities will be severely limited. While they can follow others and view their feeds, the ability to tweet, retweet, reply, and send direct messages to other users will be locked behind the $1 annual subscription paywall. Musk has strongly advocated for this move, asserting that it’s “the only way to fight bots without blocking real users.”
X’s support team describes this as a “test” rather than a profit-generating endeavor, emphasizing that it’s aimed at combating bots and spam. However, this reasoning is met with skepticism by many. There are numerous reasons to question X’s commitment to battling misinformation, as evidenced by the removal of third-party content moderation tools and the elimination of features that allowed users to report fake news. Furthermore, legal actions against X have been initiated by Australia’s online safety regulator due to an increase in hate speech on the platform. Earlier this year, the company also significantly reduced its ‘election integrity team.’
The platform has faced a series of crises, such as the rate limit issues, and the removal of useful features like Twitter Circles has led to the erosion of trust and faith in what was once a beloved social media platform.
Already, several useful features have been tucked behind the X Premium paywall, leaving users to ponder whether these bot-fighting fees will eventually extend to other regions and existing user accounts. Musk had previously floated the idea of a monthly $1 fee for all users, raising concerns about the potential evolution of the current ‘Not A Bot’ program.
Many users are contemplating leaving the platform, with the sense that X is transforming into something they no longer recognize. The promise of X becoming an “everything app,” including online shopping, fast food delivery, and taxi services, adds to concerns about financial information security.
What many users desire is not an “everything app” but rather the return of the old and beloved Twitter, the vibrant platform it once was before Elon Musk’s influence transformed it into something cold and less appealing.
