Elon Musk is considering charging people to use Twitter
Topics: Twitter, Elon Musk, News, Technology, Social Media
Joe Harker
Featured Image Credit: @elonmusk / Instagram / SOPA Images Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Twitter, Elon Musk, News, Technology, Social Media
Elon Musk is considering plans to put Twitter behind a paywall where people would have to pay a regular fee to use the social media site.
The last time Elon Musk tried to get people to pay for Twitter, namely with his idea of charging $8 a month for blue 'verified account' blue ticks, it immediately descended into chaos.
Musk promised that if you spent this money you'd see 'half the ads and much better ones', while you'd also get a blue tick usually reserved for celebrities and important people to tell everyone on Twitter you were the real deal.
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Naturally this was taken advantage of immediately as people bought their blue ticks, changed their Twitter names to 'Elon Musk' and said all sorts of things which at first glance would look like they'd come from the new Twitter CEO himself.
They're also reportedly hiring back some of the staff they let go last Friday (4 November) after letting some of their workforce go 'by mistake'.
It all sounds like a bit of a chaotic mess right now, but there's another idea in the pipeline which could really shake up how people use Twitter.
According to tech newsletter Platformer, Musk has discussed putting the social media giant behind a paywall so that everyone would have to pay to use it.
They report that discussions are in an early stage so it's not clear how serious Musk is about implementing this yet.
One of the mooted plans would be for everyone to have free access to Twitter for a limited amount of time each month before they'd have to pay more to keep browsing.
Other forms of paywalls include straight up blocking people from accessing websites unless they're paid up members and can login with an account connected to a bank balance.
Platformer did say that any potential paywall 'does not appear imminent', which would be a relief to many people who might be worried that they'll soon have to start paying for Twitter.
However, it's not all rosy skies as many major figures on the platform are ditching Twitter in their droves following Musk's takeover.
They're finding new social media sites where they can reach their fans, as evidenced by actor Ryan Reynolds joining Tumblr.
Meanwhile, someone has taken to projecting criticism of Musk's plans for Twitter onto the side of their HQ building.
It's early days in Elon Musk's ownership of Twitter but it would be fair to say that things haven't been going great during the opening stages.
UNILAD has contacted Twitter for comment.