Elon Musk has said that he has taken this step to avoid bots and spam.
X New account holders: If you have not yet become a user of X, then in future you will have to pay a fee to open your account on this platform. Yes, you read it right. Twitter, now known as X, will charge a fee for new users. This will be a significant change in X (earlier Twitter), which works on a free-to-use model. Elon Musk has announced that new people to X will have to pay a “small” fee for activities like liking, posting, replying and bookmarking tweets. The decision to impose a fee on new users has been taken after testing in New Zealand and the Philippines. The move is aimed at reducing spam and enhancing the user experience on the platform.
Why was the fee imposed?
Elon Musk defended the decision, citing the need to combat spam bots that have plagued the platform. He stressed that to prevent fake accounts and automated bots, new users will have to pay a nominal fee to write something here.
While Musk advocates a fee-based model as a solution to spam, concerns remain about its effectiveness in preventing spamming activities. The introduction of the fee raises questions about how X will prevent fake accounts and automated bots.
Rollout and price of new rule
Currently it is applicable in New Zealand and Philippines. The fee is estimated to be approximately $1, based on a $1.75 fee in New Zealand currency.
Elon Musk has expressed concern about the prevalence of spam and bot accounts on X, blaming the platform’s advertising-driven model. They believe that increased user numbers due to bots can mislead advertisers and investors, necessitating greater transparency and accuracy in user metrics.
