Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/SAN FRANCISCO: After a disastrous first attempt that scared away advertisers and raised concerns about the site’s future, Elon Musk has relaunched a subscription service for Twitter.
Last month’s attempt came only 10 days after Musk’s $44 billion buyout of the important platform and a massive round of layoffs that saw firm staff levels cut, including teams of personnel policing material.
The revival of Twitter Blue coincides with Elon Musk’s increased support for right-wing issues, such as opposition to the usage of gender-neutral pronouns and the US government’s response to Covid-19.
Users who visit Twitter through the web must pay $8 per month for the subscription service, while those who use an Apple device must pay $11 per month. Musk’s ire over Apple’s up to 30% service fee on its app store may account for the increased cost.
Twitter introduced blue tick
When Twitter Blue was first introduced, there was a stir since numerous false accounts that claimed to represent companies or famous people quickly appeared, forcing Musk’s team to abandon the plan.
This time, the business strengthened its verification process by adding a Twitter review that was necessary to obtain the coveted blue check mark. According to the corporation, checkmarks are currently gold for commercial entities and will change to grey for government entities later this week.
To prevent impersonation and false information, Twitter only allows organizations and public personalities to use the blue checkmark that signifies their accounts have been verified.
The website stated that only the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK were now offering new Twitter Blue subscriptions, however there were “plans to expand.”
One more lockdown
Since taking control, content moderation has become a major headache for Musk, who has considered himself an absolute believer in free speech and promised to eliminate most forms of censorship on the platform. However, the billionaire’s dedication to free speech has turned away significant sponsors, attracted the attention of authorities, and briefly jeopardized the company’s ability to access the Apple app store.
Musk thinks that Twitter’s previous owners unfairly banned accounts, including that of former president Donald Trump, due to their strong left-wing and pro-LGBTQ bias.
On Sunday, he also expressed his anger toward Anthony Fauci, an outgoing key advisor for the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic, who frequently receives harsh criticism on right-wing media. Musk mockingly joked about the growing trend of people stating their preferred gender pronouns, “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci.”
Additionally, Musk shared a meme of Fauci telling Joe Biden, “Just one more lockdown, my king,” in the US. Early in the pandemic, Musk called to worry about the virus “dumb.” Since taking control of Twitter, the company has removed its policy to combat false information about the disease.
Musk’s anti-Fauci tweets received harsh criticism from the White House, which dubbed them “disgusting” and “divorced from reality.”
According to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, personal attacks like the ones we’re seeing are extremely dangerous. According to CNN, Twitter’s former head of trust and safety left his home following Musk-endorsed, unfounded attacks on the social media platform.
Following the publication of the Twitter Files, a collection of internal documents Musk claims shows the company’s involvement with the Democratic Party, Yoel Roth, who left the company in November, has received threats.
When Musk supported a tweet accusing Roth of endorsing pedophilia, a common accusation made by conspiracy theorists to target opponents, the attacks took a serious turn.
The billionaire, who was born in South Africa, appeared to be the target of growing derision in Twitter’s political-liberal San Francisco headquarters. After being invited on stage by comedian Dave Chappelle late Sunday, Musk was loudly booed by a crowd in the city.
After the event, Musk tweeted, “It almost seems like I’ve offended San Francisco’s insane leftists… but nahhh.”
According to Carolina Milanesi, a tech analyst for Creative Strategies, Musk’s political stance on Twitter could cause future business problems. She said that the return on investment for promoting tweets has “crashed” due to the sharp decline in engagement.
