In the last month of 2022, Twitter launched Blue with a monthly subscription fee of 8 dollars a month. The blue bird company claimed that the users who would pay for this subscription would given certain benefits that were not available to normal users. Such benefits included the ability to post longer videos, a preference listing in account search, comments and mentions on the social media app and the pleasure of suffering just half the ads while using the app services. Although all these benefits were not initially implemented with the introduction of Blue, the social media company has finally introduced the most awaited of these features: 50% less ads as compared to other users.
Twitter Blue and verified accounts:
While the newly setup concept of Twitter Blue which allows anyone to get verified on Twitter if they get their phone number verified had upset the people who already had verified accounts before the introduction of this feature, their accounts are still verified. They are now being called as legacy verified account holders. Chief Executive of the blue bird company has claimed that they are mentioning the date on which an account got verified. He further added that the dates would be added from the point when paid verification process was introduced because he felt that the system that was previously in place was corrupted. Elon has said that only accounts which are verified will be recommended in the ‘For you’ section of the social media app.
Bot Accounts
This is not the first time that we are coming across tons of bot accounts run by AI systems. However, what was earlier limited to accounts which were not verified is now being seen even in accounts which have got a blue check mark claiming its verification. The authenticity of an account which was proclaimed by the verification mark no longer exists. This also became the primary reason for legacy verified account holders to oppose the newly imposed policies of the social media giant. Although Musk said that reserving the recommendations for verified accounts will be beneficial to keep bots excluded, he also said in another controversial statement made by him that he is in fact aware of the bot verified accounts. Furthermore, he added that he doesn’t find the presence of bot verified accounts a problem unless they start disobeying the terms of the app’s service or impersonate other real people.
The increase in the number of bots on Twitter combined with the claim that voting polls will require an account to be verified sounds problematic to the users of the app. It is believed that this will cause inaccurate voting predictions leading to faulty study results that could have provided accurate results in the absence of bots.
