X, previously known as Twitter, is starting a trial where new users will be asked to pay $1 annually to be able to “post and interact with other posts.”
The company made this announcement recently, stating that this move is part of their efforts to fight against spam and bots. They are calling this program “Not A Bot,” and it will be initially tested in New Zealand and the Philippines.
Elon Musk had previously mentioned that the company planned to switch to a subscription fee model in September. X has clarified that these changes are not primarily aimed at making profits.
For users who are not able or willing to pay the yearly fee, their access will be limited to viewing posts and following accounts. Reducing bot activity has been an ongoing concern for Musk, dating back to before he acquired the company in October 2022.
At first, he said that Twitter, which was previously called that, wasn’t disclosing the true number of bots on the platform. He claimed this to try and get out of a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. Many experts disagreed with his analysis.
Since Musk took over, it seems like there are even more bot accounts on Twitter. He has made significant changes to the social media platform, which is very important for handling disasters and getting news.
Right after he took over, Musk changed how users get verified. He got rid of the requirements for being famous and started a paid system instead. He also reduced the number of teams responsible for trust and safety as part of his plan to save money.
Some researchers not affiliated with Twitter found a lot of bot accounts promoting cryptocurrency tokens. This caused the prices of these tokens to go up. Many users have complained that Twitter is not as good as it used to be. But other social media platforms like Bluesky, Meta’s Threads, and Mastodon are still not strong competitors.
It isn’t clear when the paid subscription will roll out worldwide.
