When new followers block or hide a profile from appearing in their News Feed, it will lead to a reduction in the overall visibility of the hidden account.
An additional feature for new paying Twitter subscribers. This was announced by Elon Musk, this Saturday, on the social network at the blue bird. Concretely, when subscribers block or hide a profile so that it no longer appears in their news feed, it will lead to a reduction in the overall visibility of the hidden account. The new owner of Twitter, however, did not give details on the precise impact on visibility or on the implementation deadlines for this new feature.
“ Each account is associated with visibility based on a large number of variables. This feature will give power and privilege to paying subscribers “Explains Fabrice Epelboin, social media expert.
We pass from a democratic power to a bourgeois power
Fabrice Epelboin, social media specialist
A new option that can have positive effects on the social network, if we look at the tails. “This can be effective in making trolls invisible and limiting maliciousness on Twitter. This is a major announcement for the fight against hate on this network», Analyzes the social media expert. But on the face side, the excesses are never far away. “There may be possible diversions, certified accounts may impact the visibility of people only because they have different opinions. We go from an aristocratic power to a bourgeois power, granted to those who pay a subscription“, continues Fabrice Epelboin.
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$8 per month subscription
This new subscription costs 8 dollars per month if users subscribe via the website, and 11 dollars per month if they go through the mobile application of an Apple-branded device (iPhone or iPad). Twitter did not provide an official explanation for this price difference. Elon Musk had previously criticized the 30% commission charged by Apple on spending made through the App Store.
But this is not the only advantage to which new premium accounts will be entitled. Main interest for people agreeing to pay money: a tick supposed to certify the identity of the subscriber, blue for individuals, gold for companies, and, later in the week, gray for institutions. Tweets from followers will also be considered more important than those from free users, and will therefore appear higher in replies and searches. Twitter also promised those who agree to pay that they will see half as many ads as others, that they will be able to upload longer videos and remove a tweet after sending it but before it has not been seen by others on the platform. They will also have access to more options to customize the application and features that the social network is testing, according to the company. By clicking on the badge attached to an account, it is possible to know if the user is a subscriber to Twitter Blue or if he has kept his blue tick free.
This subscription will initially be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The San Francisco company did not say when Twitter Blue would be available on other smartphones (operated by Android, i.e. Google), or at what price. Users who already have a checkmark following the old free personality authentication system will be able, a priori, to keep it without paying for the moment, according to the details of the conditions of use published by Twitter.
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As the first attempt of the launch had been marked by an outbreak of fake accounts, the conditions for authenticating were tightened. In particular, users must have an account for at least 90 days, associated with a verified phone number, and which does not seem “misleading or deceptive“. They must also have been active at least once in the previous month and not have changed their profile picture or their name on Twitter during the previous week.