Ago Elon Musk acquired Twitter In October, it made the social media platform Many user experience tweaksincluding reviewing the verification process and affirming “freedom of expression”.
The billionaire has introduced a number of changes to the platform, often broadcast via Twitter.
between the The most notable changes are a revision verification process: Previously, blue ticks referred to public figures independently verified by the platform, but now Users can purchase a verified brand by subscribing to Blue Twitter For eight dollars a month.
Declaring that Twitter’s new policy is “Freedom of Speech,” where negative or hateful tweets will be “removed,” but not blocked, musk Reset multiple accounts They have been suspendedamong them who Donald Trump, Jordan Peterson, and Kathy Griffin (Musk returned Trump’s account after a Twitter poll: 51.8% of the fifteen million people voted “yes” to return the account to the former US president.)
Every Tweet now publicly shows how many views it gotan update Musk made in an attempt to show how “Twitter is more alive than people realise.”
Twitter now splits a user’s timeline between a For You pagesimilar to TikTok, a feed Generated by algorithms with tweets it thinks the user will like, and a “Follow” pagewhich consists solely of the tweets the user is following.
social network It retracted a short-lived policy that prohibited users from sharing links to other social media platforms: After less than a day of feedback, the platform removed the policy from its site web.
New verification process
One of the biggest — and most ironic — updates from Musk’s era of Twitter is his radical change to the verification process.
Prior to that, blue badges confirmed that profiles of public figures, such as celebrities, journalists, or government officials, were legitimate. The blue checks (which Twitter now refers to as “old” verified accounts) are still visible, but the platform has laid Blue checks are available to anyone as long as they are subscribed to Twitter Bluea service that allows users to preview new features.
in this meaning, There is no visual difference between the old and new blue tags, which has raised concerns about the possibility of public impersonation (although hovering over or clicking the blue tick will tell you whether the account is subscribed to Twitter Blue or a Twitter Blue account). Inherited verified).
Within hours of the new blue flags being released, Users have purchased trademarks impersonating Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Kobe Bryantas mentioned before CNN.
Columnist at Washington Post He was able to verify accounts that claimed to be comedian Blair Erskine and Democratic Senator Ed Markey within minutes.
for all this, Twitter has temporarily suspended the ability to obtain a file Check blue the next day, vowing to fix the phishing issues.
In that sense, Musk said he plans to Get rid of old check marksclaiming that the old verification process was “corrupt and meaningless”.
In another major overhaul of the verification system, the Accounts owned by companies are indicated by the symbol Checkups goldenwhile the government entities and politicians With gray checks.
Criticism of updates
the Musk’s changes to the platform have been criticized For various reasons, out of existence Unnecessary and annoying So open the door to hate speech.
The ability for anyone to purchase documentation to facilitate impersonation of public figures and the spread of disinformation has been condemned.
In January, members of The Taliban bought blue checks, although they were later withdrawn After reactions against.
Musk also came under fire in December following his Twitter post Suspended accounts of many journalists which was critical of his ownership of the company, although these accounts were later recreated.
the Criticism of the verification processas well Mass layoffs From musk, led to More than 500 advertisers to suspend investment in Twitteras it was published the informationcausing it to happen 40% decrease in daily revenue.
said some of the influencers on Twitter NBC News it’s a The daily use of the platform worsened Under Musk’s leadership, including an influx of hate speech in light of his new focus on freedom of speech, as well as an increase in technical glitches as the company’s staff has been cut in half. these influencers — among them Matt Nelson, who directs We classify dogsan account with 9.3 million followers – they said NBC News that job Verified notificationswhich shows notifications received by verified accounts, no longer usefulon condition Anyone can pay for the blue check mark.
the feed The default “For You” option has also angered some users who find the update unnecessary and now see tweets they don’t care about.
LGBTQ advocacy groups have also claimed that “freedom of speech” approach Platform Anti-trans rhetoric festered on the platform.
Among the accounts reinstated under Musk are Babylon Beea satirical Christian news site, and writer Jordan Peterson, who has previously posted anti-transphobic tweets, reported bloomberg.
what are you expecting
He talked about Musk Future updates not yet released On the platform:
- in feb It will increase the current 280-character limit to 4,000 characters – a significant plus for the platform, which has long been famous for its conciseness.
- Users will soon be able to use formatting features such as Bold, underline, and font sizea move Musk hopes will keep people on Twitter instead of using other sites web to post jobs.
- The social network is also considering the possibility Sell usernames that have been inactive for years to clear accounts and Income generation.
way here
After months of backtracking and threatening a lawsuit, Musk bought Twitter in October in a highly publicized $44 million deal.
Quickly Significantly reduce the workforce for the company, claiming it could go bankrupt and needed to become a “hard core” to survive.
Similarly, founder Tesla started Implementing their vision of “freedom of expression” for the platform.
Musk had already criticized former Twitter bosses, claiming that they run the platform with a “left bias.”
Will he continue as CEO?
Will Musk really stop being CEO of Twitter?
Last December he tweeted that He will step down when he finds someone “stupid enough” to replace him And then he will direct teams software and company servers.
businessman He was asked through a Twitter poll if he should resignstating “I will stand by the results of this survey,” and Yes won a clear victory, with a score of 57.5%. From 17.5 million votes in the poll.
The executive has not provided updates or a timeline for the search for a successor since he created the survey.
On the other hand, Forbes estimates that Elon Musk has a net worth of $149.4 billion In dollars (as of Wed, Jan 18), which makes The second richest person in the worldBernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, was succeeded by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and his family. Musk ceased to be the richest person in the world in December.
Grace Montgomery writes for News Collective, covering news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on clear, reliable reporting and useful information, helping readers stay informed about current events, emerging trends, and stories that matter.