Twitter 'simply the most interesting place on Internet': Elon Musk
New York, November 3
Twitter’s new owner billionaire Elon Musk has said that his social media platform is “simply the most interesting place on the Internet”, amidst outrage over his plan to charge a monthly fee of USD 8 per month for Twitter’s blue-tick verification.
Musk, the world’s richest person, acquired Twitter in a whopping USD 44 billion deal on October 27.
Musk on Wednesday announced that the verification blue tick in front of a user’s name that authenticates the account will be charged eight dollars per month, prompting outrage and disbelief among some long-time users.
“Twitter is simply the most interesting place on the Internet. That’s why you’re reading this tweet right now,” Musk tweeted on Wednesday.
Earlier he tweeted: “Being attacked by both right and left simultaneously is a good sign” and “you get what you pay for”.
“Power to the people! Blue for USD 8 per month,” he tweeted on Tuesday, adding that the price is adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.
With that price, he said, users will also get priority in replies, mentions, and searches, which he said is essential to defeating spam/scams, as well as the ability to post long video and audio, half as many ads, and paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with the social media company.
Musk, 51, said the monthly payments from users for the blue tick will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators.
There will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians, he further said.
A blue tick signifies that a particular account is verified because it’s notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.
Twitter introduced the system in 2009 after it faced a lawsuit accusing it of not doing enough to prevent imposter accounts.
