Twitter aims for new users to pay a fee before being able to post
X still has a bot problem, as evidenced by numerous reports calling for action. However, Elon Musk has a brilliant plan to tackle the issue on his social media platform: pay users more money.
On Monday, it was announced that a new language had been added to the site referencing a “small annual fee” that new users would have to pay to access the platform. Musk stated that this change was real and explained his reasoning. “Unfortunately, a small fee for new user write access is the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots,” he asserted.
Musk further stated in another tweet that new users would only have to endure the fee for three months, after which access would be free. This creates some confusion as the fee is annual, not monthly.
This tactic has been tested before. In October, the social media platform experimented with fees in New Zealand and the Philippines.
It seems that Musk, who wants to be seen as someone on the cutting edge of the future with his electric cars, space exploration company, and more, cannot figure out how to stop the bots on X. One of the main reasons X launched a fee was to prevent bots from taking over the platform. However, scammers found ways around it, using verified bot accounts in their scams.
Since 2022, the platform has been plagued with issues, from scammers deceiving users to creating fake accounts that send those who click on them to scam websites.
