In a recent development, Twitter has stated that its users will need to be verified for accessing TweetDeck, its well-known dashboard application. This announcement, released via Twitter’s official account, detailed an upgraded version of TweetDeck complete with new features. However, the social media giant also hinted at a significant policy shift that will be rolled out in 30 days.
Up until now, TweetDeck has been freely available, with its robust capabilities widely leveraged by businesses and news organizations for efficient content monitoring. Yet, with Twitter’s announcement, the platform’s access may no longer be as open. As the statement left it uncertain whether charges would apply to both the new and old versions of TweetDeck, Twitter’s silence on comment requests has only fueled speculation.
The decision to possibly monetize TweetDeck could provide a much-needed revenue lift for Twitter. This comes at a time when the social media giant, under billionaire Elon Musk’s ownership, is grappling to keep a firm grip on its advertising income.
This policy change follows on the heels of Musk’s statement revealing limitations on the number of posts both verified and unverified users can read daily. Musk justified this decision citing the need to “address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation.”
However, the move ignited a storm of backlash from the Twitter community. Advertising experts have also voiced their concerns, suggesting that such a shift could undercut new CEO Linda Yaccarino, who assumed her role only a month ago.
The cost of verification is slated to be US$8 (RM37) monthly for individual accounts and US$1,000 per month for organizations. The introduction of this charge may have further implications on Twitter’s user dynamics, making it an interesting development to keep an eye on.
This news piece is based on an article from malaymail.com.
