Tag: online platforms

  • X considers monthly fee for all users as a countermeasure against fake accounts 

    X considers monthly fee for all users as a countermeasure against fake accounts 

    Renowned technology billionaire Elon Musk hinted on Tuesday that users of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, may face a monthly fee. Musk stated, “We’re moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the system,” during a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

    Musk’s proposal is driven by the need to combat the issue of bots and fake accounts on social media, with the idea of charging for verification. However, it remains unclear whether this was a spontaneous comment or a signal of more concrete plans. 

    The new owner of the social media giant X, who assumed control last year, is encouraging users to subscribe to X Premium, which offers paid subscribers additional features like longer posts and increased visibility. Currently, users can still access X for free. 

    While Musk insists that the primary objective is to combat bots, it is apparent that there is a financial interest for the company in charging users, according to the BBC. Musk explained, “A bot costs a fraction of a penny to make. But if somebody even has to pay a few dollars or something, some minor amount, the effective cost to bots is very high.” 

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    The world’s richest person is also exploring options for lower pricing tiers for X Premium, which currently costs $8 (£6.50) per month in the US, with variations depending on the subscriber’s location. He stated, “We’re actually going to come up with lower-tier pricing. So we just want it to be a small amount of money.” 

    Musk emphasised, “This is a longer discussion, but in my view, this is actually the only defence against vast armies of bots.” 

    However, there is a concern that placing X behind a paywall could result in a significant loss of users, potentially affecting the company’s primary source of income, advertising revenue. 

  • X fixes ‘glitch’ causing disappearance of pre-2014 images and media

    X fixes ‘glitch’ causing disappearance of pre-2014 images and media

    The social media giant X, previously known as Twitter, has acknowledged a significant glitch that led to the disappearance of images and other media links dating back to before 2014. The company has confirmed that the bug has been rectified, and the issue is expected to be completely resolved in the upcoming days.

    In a recent communication, X Support stated, “During the weekend, we encountered a bug that prevented the display of images from the period preceding 2014. It’s important to note that no images or data were permanently lost due to this issue. We have successfully addressed the bug, and its full resolution is anticipated shortly.”

    While no official confirmation has been provided, there is speculation that the bug could be attributed to the transition of domains from Twitter.com to X.com.

    The glitch on the X platform also had an impact on one of the most iconic tweets shared on the platform by Ellen DeGeneres, the host of the 2014 Oscars. This particular tweet, captured after the Oscars, featured a star-studded selfie including personalities like Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, and Meryl Streep, among others. The comedian accompanied the 2014 Oscars selfie with the caption, “If only Bradley’s arm was longer. Best photo ever.”

    Interestingly, amid the ‘bug’ issue, one of the few posts that remained unaffected was the well-known tweet by Barack Obama following his victory in the 2012 election. The post featured an image of Obama and his wife Michelle, accompanied by the caption, “Four more years.”

    Initial reports suggest that the glitch appears to be linked to tweets posted after December 2014. This timing coincides with changes made by the social media platform in 2016, when it introduced ‘enhanced URL enrichment’ to enable previews for linked websites and native attachments, a feature that extended beyond the platform’s original 140-character limit.

  • Twitter’s worst nightmare: Facebook to launch Threads on Thursday as a rival to Musk’s platform

    Twitter’s worst nightmare: Facebook to launch Threads on Thursday as a rival to Musk’s platform

    Meta Platforms plans to launch a microblogging app called Threads, which aims to compete with Twitter. This development comes shortly after Twitter CEO Elon Musk faced criticism for implementing a temporary cap on the number of posts users can read on the platform.

    According to a listing on Apple’s App Store, Threads is expected to be released on Thursday. The app will enable users to maintain their followers from the photo-sharing platform Instagram and keep the same username.

    This rollout represents a direct challenge to Twitter, which has encountered several controversies since Musk acquired the company for $44 billion in 2022. Last week, Musk introduced new restrictions on the app, limiting the daily number of tweets users can view. This move sparked outcry among many Twitter users.

    Although alternative microblogging sites like Mastodon and Blue Sky have experienced an increase in user numbers following Musk’s acquisition, neither has managed to rival Twitter. However, Instagram already boasts hundreds of millions of registered users and has a track record of incorporating successful features from other social media platforms.

    In response to the growing popularity of Snapchat, Instagram introduced a feature called “stories” in 2016, allowing user posts to disappear after a certain period. More recently, Instagram’s “Reels” feature has aimed to compete with the rising prominence of TikTok.

    The launch of Threads poses a credible threat to Twitter under Musk’s leadership. His attempts to boost revenues and reshape the platform in his own image have faced significant criticism. Following the acquisition last year, Musk downsized the company by approximately 80 per cent and reinstated several banned accounts, including those of former US President Donald Trump and the conservative satirical news site Babylon Bee.

    Concerns over an increase in harmful content on the platform led hundreds of advertisers to pause their spending on Twitter. Internal documents viewed by Reuters also revealed a decline in engagement among the platform’s most active users.

  • US lawmakers grill TikTok CEO over promoting harmful content to young users

    US lawmakers grill TikTok CEO over promoting harmful content to young users

    During a congressional hearing on Thursday, US lawmakers accused the Chinese-owned app TikTok of serving harmful content to young users, leading to emotional distress. The CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, was grilled on the company’s influence on teenagers.

    Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers from Washington began the hearing by stating that TikTok’s content algorithm promotes self-harm and eating disorder content within minutes of creating an account, and encourages dangerous challenges that can endanger kids’ lives. Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone from New Jersey added that content on TikTok has worsened children’s emotional stress.

    Chew, who made his first appearance before Congress, testified that the vast majority of TikTok users are over 18, but the company has invested in measures to safeguard young people who use the app. The hearing comes at a critical time for TikTok as the Biden administration faces increasing pressure from lawmakers to ban the app over national security concerns, as it is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese tech firm.

    Lawmakers questioned Chew on whether the Chinese government could access Americans’ user data and how the app prevented harmful content from reaching young users. Republican Rep. Bob Latta from Ohio mentioned a 10-year-old girl who suffocated herself while attempting a “blackout challenge” from videos on the app. Latta argued that TikTok should not be shielded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a law that generally grants online platforms immunity for content created by users.

    Chew later stated during the hearing that TikTok prohibited dangerous challenges and similar content. TikTok has recently introduced more parental control features, and earlier this month, it announced that it was in the early stages of developing a tool that would enable parents to block their teens from viewing videos containing specific words or hashtags.