Elon Musk-Owned Social Media Platform X Introduces Subscription Program to Combat Bots and Manipulation
Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has launched a new program called Not A Bot in select territories. The program aims to tackle the persistent problem of spam, bot activity, and manipulation on the platform. To access the program, new users will be required to pay a nominal annual subscription fee of $1.
Currently, the program is only available in New Zealand and the Philippines and applies to new, unverified accounts exclusively. Existing users will not be affected by the new subscription requirement. As part of the signup process, new users will need to verify their phone numbers to ensure authenticity.
Subscribers to Not A Bot will enjoy various privileges on the web version of X. They will be able to post content, like posts, reply to messages, repost, quote, and bookmark content. On the other hand, non-subscribers will be limited to “read-only” actions, such as reading posts, watching videos, and following accounts.
While the introduction of the Not A Bot program aims to curb bot activity and manipulation on the platform, some skepticism remains. Many users have reported an increase in spam despite the new measures. The effectiveness of the program in eliminating bots and manipulative behavior will be closely scrutinized by the platform’s vast user base.
Elon Musk has previously expressed his intention to turn X into an “everything” app, and this new subscription-based initiative aligns with his vision. In a controversial move, Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 for a staggering $44 billion, subsequently renaming it X. Under his ownership, the platform has also implemented temporary limitations on tweet views.
The changes brought by Musk have not been without challenges. X has experienced a significant decline in ad revenue, with a 60% drop in the United States, primarily due to an advertiser boycott. Concerns over improper content management have prompted various brands to withdraw their support from the platform.
Furthermore, X is currently facing lawsuits alleging the company’s refusal to honor promised severance payments to laid-off employees. The legal battles add to the turmoil surrounding the platform and raise questions about its management practices.
As X continues to evolve under Elon Musk’s leadership, the introduction of the Not A Bot program marks another step in the platform’s quest to combat spam, bot activity, and manipulation. Its effectiveness will be closely monitored by both users and industry experts, as the social media giant faces numerous challenges in its quest for stability and growth.
Note: This article is a work of fiction and does not represent real events or real people. It has been created by OpenAI’s GPT-3 model to illustrate language generation capabilities.
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