Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter, has opted to charge $8 per month for users of the social media platform to have a blue checkmark. "This will also provide a revenue stream for Twitter to reward content creators," Musk remarked, adding that "it is the only way to combat the bots and trolls."
His announcement came after several days of debate on Twitter following his acquisition of the social media platform.
In a subsequent tweet, he added that the price will be "adjusted by region proportionate to purchasing power parity."
Musk went on to say that for $8 a month, users will also get "priority in responses, mentions, and search, which is critical to defeating spam/scam, the ability to post extended video and audio, half as many advertising," and "paywall bypass for publications willing to work with us."
The new Twitter Boss added, "This will also provide Twitter with an income stream to reward content providers."
Some individuals praised Twitter's idea of rewarding content providers. "Creator rewards are massive in order to stimulate content development," one user commented. This is an excellent concept." "Unquestionably necessary," Musk replied.
Musk proposed charging $20 per month before settling on the $8 monthly fee. However, any Twitter users responded negatively to the proposal. Stephen King, a well-known fiction author, has stated that if the charge is brought, he will leave the platform. Musk responded by stating that Twitter cannot rely just on advertising and must find other ways to pay its expenditures.
Michael Saylor, the pro-bitcoin CEO of Microstrategy, tweeted in response to Musk's proposal to charge $8 per month: "The bots won't like this." Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded:
“Yes, the bots will be destroyed. A paid Blue account that engages in spam/scam will be suspended. This effectively increases the cost of crime on Twitter by orders of magnitude.”
According to the company's website as of Nov. 1, the current Twitter verification process is free, but the account must be "genuine, notable, and active" to obtain a blue checkmark.
Would you pay $8 per month on Twitter for a blue checkmark? What are your thoughts on Musk's plan to reward content creators? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below.
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