Twitter has had a crazy journey over the last year. Twitter has seen several modifications since Elon Musk took over as CEO in late 2022. This article will examine What does Twitter look like under Elon Musk. As revealed by ExpressVPN, The Twitterverse has been in a constant state of flux since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform in October 2022 and the subsequent shake-up of the company. Despite the upheavals, the social network is still thriving, recruiting new members while keeping existing ones interested.
To commemorate Twitter Day on March 21 and the social network’s 17th birthday, we take a deeper look at the Twitterverse in statistics to see how much the platform has evolved in the last year and how it is likely to evolve in the future. These are the newest updates from Twitter Headquarters, ranging from user growth and popular hashtags to banned bots and contentious blue ticks.
Paid Verification
Musk’s first major announcement, of course, was his premium verification scheme, in which users may pay $8 per month to receive a blue checkmark, allowing them to digitally masquerade as celebrities on the app.
Musk planned to charge $20 per month at first but realised it was too much for regular people who don’t have billions of dollars in discretionary spending. So he reduced it to $8 per month, or $96 per year, to maintain your blue tick – while iOS subscribers must pay $11 per month since Elon refuses to pay Apple’s 30% in-app purchase tax out of his own money.
Look, this is a really faulty, self-serving approach that provides little benefit to consumers while providing a lot of value to Twitter in terms of direct income and as a means of certifying actual users (since, in principle, bots cannot pay). Musk had to update the programme to combat impersonation frauds, which took off almost immediately after it was released, but even now, there’s not much need for people to pay up – especially because most users don’t actually tweet, so the advantages aren’t worth the money for the majority.
But some people will pay, and Elon is working on other incentives, such as priority ranking of responses and in search (again, meaningless if you don’t tweet), as well as a new system in which paying users will be able to downvote other accounts in order to reduce their tweet visibility.
Trump’s return to Twitter
Musk stated that if he purchases Twitter, he will restore Trump’s access to the platform. Another hyperactive user, the former president was permanently banned from Twitter after Twitter concluded that his constant postings about the January 6 assault on Capitol Hill broke the platform’s policy against encouraging violence. Trump then started his own Twitter clone, Truth Social, and hasn’t specified whether he’d return to Twitter if permitted.
Musk and Trump have also lately clashed. Musk said that it was time for Trump to “sail into the sunset” after Trump criticised Tesla and his “rockets to nowhere.”
If many or all of the people who have been permanently banned from Twitter are permitted to return, their shown opposition to content self-moderation and support for unlimited freedom of expression might convert the network into a tool for spreading misinformation and manipulating elections.
No Doxxing
Elon Musk has disclosed a substantial change in policy:
“When someone shares an individual’s live location on Twitter, there is an increased risk of physical harm. Moving forward, we’ll remove Tweets that share this information, and accounts dedicated to sharing someone else’s live location will be suspended.”
Elon made the decision to take quick action against any Twitter accounts that reveal live location information in order to prevent potential damage following an incident in which his young kid was accosted by a stalker.
Twitter’s new standards restrict users from broadcasting any live location information, including anything provided directly on Twitter or links to third-party Websites for travel instructions. Because you would be revealing the live location of everyone in the video, all live streams are potentially out.
Increased Interaction with Users
An increasing degree of user participation has been one of Twitter’s most notable changes under Elon Musk. After becoming the CEO, Musk has maintained his reputation for being active on Twitter. Musk has interacted with followers on Twitter, responded to inquiries, and shared updates on his many projects. Also, he has replied to concerns and comments, demonstrating his commitment to enhancing the platform and paying attention to customer input.
Increased Focus on Content
Twitter has likewise shifted its attention more towards content recently under Musk’s direction. In order to do this, Musk has made adjustments to Twitter. He has stated that he wants to make it a medium for meaningful dialogues and information exchange. For instance, Musk has added additional tools to encourage the consumption of high-quality material, such as the ability to favourite tweets and follow particular subjects. In order to encourage meaningful material and stop the spread of false information, he has also implemented new algorithms.
New Policies and Rules
Twitter has adopted new guidelines and standards as a result of Elon Musk’s leadership to foster a more civil and secure workplace. Twitter has created a new Trust and Safety Council to examine and enhance its regulations, and Musk has been outspoken about fighting hate speech, abuse, and disinformation on the network. These modifications indicate a dedication to social media etiquette and are intended to raise the standard of the user experience as a whole.
Account restorations
Musk’s revelation that he would reinstate the profiles of users who had been previously banned from the app was a clear indication of his ambitions to make Twitter more open and free. Actually, it was more of a user vote than an announcement, which has become Musk’s go-to decision-making mechanism.
Since Musk wants to start again and with a clean slate, Twitter has gone about re-establishing approximately 60,000 accounts that belonged to people who had previously breached the platform’s rules. Although all of these identities are still required to follow the platform’s rules, some of the app’s most notorious prior violators are suddenly back and tweeting once again.
Final Remark
After Elon Musk took over as CEO in 2022, Twitter has seen substantial changes. Musk has revamped the platform, added new features, and improved user participation. He has also concentrated on content and monetisation, which has improved Twitter’s usability and profitability.
It will be fascinating to observe how these changes impact Twitter’s user base and engagement as the site develops further under Musk’s direction. Yet one thing is certain: with Musk in charge, Twitter is set up for future expansion and innovation.
