X, the Elon Musk-owned social network formerly known as Twitter, has launched three new subscription plans in a bid to generate revenue and limit exposure to market fluctuations. This move comes a year after Tesla’s founder joined the company. Users can now choose from three paid options: the Basic plan ($3 per month), the Premium plan ($6, previously known as Blue), and the Premium+ ($16). The latter offers greater visibility for user posts, increasing the chances of them being read and receiving reactions, as well as removing the display of ads entirely.
With the Basic subscription, editing tools and two-factor authentication
As for the cheapest option, Basic, it includes basic editing tools (ability to correct a message or post longer videos) and two-factor authentication, but not access to creator tools that allow forms of remuneration, nor the famous blue tick. This is obtained instead starting from the Premium subscription which in recent months had been launched in a somewhat chaotic manner under the name Blue. It was supposed to help the platform earn money and reduce the presence of bots and fake profiles, but it ended up facilitating misinformation since anyone can now have certification, as long as they pay. In the past, the blue check was free and assigned by the social network to certified profiles.
The value of the platform halved after Musk’s arrival
Due to this confusion, several advertisers no longer invested in X and the company’s value more than halved, going from $44 billion in October 2022, when Musk bought it, to $20 billion. In the future the social network, which remains free for those who do not want to subscribe, could become paid for for everyone: in New Zealand and the Philippines, a test is in progress in which new users have to pay a dollar every year to be able to post messages. In recent days, X has also started experimenting with a tool for making audio and video calls directly from the platform.
Source-tg24.sky.it