Elon Musk, the richest human in the world, acquired the social media platform Twitter on October 27, 2022. The “Chief Twit,” as his Twitter proclaims, seemed to have big plans for what to do after this purchase was complete. This was possibly due in part to the months it took to close the deal. Several notable changes have happened in the last four days since Musk bought the company for $44 billion. Twitter became a privately owned company, with Musk as the sole director. The entire board was terminated, along with several key advisors.
Some technical changes have also taken place or are planned for the future of the platform. The homepage was changed so that when not logged in, visitors now see the latest news as opposed to a sign-up page.
Musk has been talking his new venture up to advertisers, saying “advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you.”
There is talk of making Twitter a space for all kinds of ventures as opposed to a dedicated social media space. This is currently referred to as an “everything app.” With all of these changes, Twitter has many of us wondering what’s next.
Perhaps one of the most valuable parts of Twitter is the verification system. This blue checkmark, used on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, shows that the person posting is real and who they say they are. This is essential for content creators and businesses alike. It helps eliminate spam accounts and people trying to make money from fans by posing as the user.
Currently, Twitter verification is free. This can be seen as a thank you to creators for bringing traffic to the platforms and sharing consistently with their fanbases. Of course, since the acquisition, Elon Musk can do essentially whatever he wants without many repercussions. One of his latest plans is to revamp the whole verification process, according to a tweet by Musk on October 30, 2022. This explanation was decidedly vague.
However, according to “people familiar with the matter” as cited by The Verge, the plan is allegedly to change the Twitter Blue subscription plan to include verification. They will also bump the price up from $4.99 to $19.99 a month. Not only will creators have to pay nearly $20 every month for a service that used to be free, but reports say creators will only have ninety days to purchase the subscription or lose their blue checkmark.
Musk said in a statement about the purchase “I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love.”
The changes Musk is making for those whom he says he loves may have lasting negative impacts on many Twitter users in the coming days.
