Twitter has undergone significant changes in recent years. The platform has introduced a range of new features and updates, including expanding the character limit from 140 to 280, introducing the option to create fleets (temporary tweets that disappear after 24 hours), and implementing a new algorithmic timeline that prioritizes content based on user engagement.
Twitter has also faced increased scrutiny over its handling of misinformation and hate speech, leading to the introduction of stricter content policies and increased moderation efforts.
Elon Musk has new rules
TechCrunch reveals that Elon Musk has announced that Twitter’s algorithmic “For You” timeline will only show verified accounts starting from April 15th. In a tweet, Musk said that this move was made to address the threat of advanced AI bot swarms taking over the social media platform. Only verified accounts, including paid users, brands, and government officials, will be recommended by Twitter’s algorithm. However, verified bots that don’t impersonate humans are also eligible to be shown on the “For You” timeline.
Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.
The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.
Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 27, 2023
Twitter has been pushing its “For You” timeline, which shows recommended tweets to users, but the decision to limit it to verified accounts may not be popular. Analysts suggest that Twitter only has 385,000 paying users, and legacy verification checkmarks of previously notable accounts will be removed on April 1st. Therefore, the algorithmic feed will mainly comprise paid accounts, brands, and officials’ accounts, creating a skewed timeline.
Twitter has launched various initiatives aimed at improving user safety, including introducing new reporting tools and implementing machine learning algorithms to detect and remove abusive content. Overall, Twitter’s changes reflect the evolving nature of social media and the challenges that platforms face in balancing user engagement with user safety and responsible content moderation.
