Next month, Twitter users’ ‘For You’ tabs will be receiving a refresh, with only tweets from verified accounts set to be recommended.
In a move that appears to have been actioned to drive people to take up the platform’s paid offering, Twitter Blue, Elon Musk has announced that tweets from regular accounts are being axed from the main tab.
This doesn’t spell the end of recommendations from non-subscriber accounts, however, as these will be available in the Explore tab, and users will be able to view tweets from accounts they follow in the Following tab. It will, however, make viewing content from non-subscriber accounts a user doesn’t follow more time-consuming, which will undoubtedly result in reduced visibility and reach.
This change will be effective as of April 15th, with this date also marking a change to polls, with soon only Twitter Blue subscribers being able to vote. This coincides with another Twitter Blue-related change – the removal of legacy ticks from accounts.
These changes are set to make the app extremely Twitter Blue-centric. As a result, this could go one of two ways: either the platform becomes an echo chamber of similar ideas and political beliefs, as current subscribers of Twitter Blue largely align with Musk, or it prompts further adoption of the offering, as brands and individuals look to gain more visibility. Whether the average user will want to pay for a subscription is another story.
Whichever way it leads, it will also result in one definite positive – a reduction in the reach of spam accounts. While currently spammers can create hundreds or even thousands of accounts for free and mass-produce content to amplify specific messages, they will soon need to fork out on paying a subscription fee per account and undergo verification checks, which should deter them from spamming in the first place.
Whatever happens, it’s clear that the landscape of Twitter is changing rapidly as Musk rolls in changes and makes his mark on the platform. If you need help organically increasing your visibility on social media, check out our Social Media & Content Masterclass.
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