Elon Musk has a problem with Twitter, and it’s a problem that doesn’t seem to have an easy solution. In other circumstances, you might think that I am talking about the use of the social network to spread fake news, about the increasing incidence of hateful content, about the fact that spam is rampant on the platform, about its contribution to the polarization of all types of positions … the list could be very long, yes, but actually We all know that what really worries you is money..

Buying Twitter was an economically disastrous operation, as several experts have already stated after the initial takeover offer. We have never had an official explanation (and probably never will) what led Musk to modify his original plans, which were limited to expanding his share, to the decision to become the owner of a social network that, yes, was successful in scale, but economically it was investment quite ruinous.

Was it “incandescence”, a totally thoughtless action? Or, on the contrary, did you plan to proceed as you did, and then try to achieve a significant reduction in the originally offered price? Be that as it may, his decision to back out has found its way into the courts, precisely in a jurisdiction where breaches of a pre-contractual agreement don’t usually go down well. So he paid a fortune, and from day one as the owner of Twitter, he focused on trying to cut costs and increase revenue, even if some of his actions worked in the opposite direction.

Starting today, we are testing a new program (Not A Bot) in New Zealand and the Philippines. New, unverified accounts will need to sign up for a $1 annual subscription to post and interact with others. Existing users are not affected as part of this test.

Is…

— Support (@Support) October 17, 2023

In this sense, the social network itself is a surprising step announced that Twitter will start charging $1 a year for new accounts. For now, he said, the measure will only apply to new accounts created in the Philippines and New Zealand reportedand making this payment will be necessary to use the basic functions of the social network, such as publishing tweets and interacting with the publications of other users. This is said to be a pilot test, so if it works according to their plans, we can expect it to spread to the rest of the world over time. However, the important aspect is that they confirm it This payment will not be applied to existing accounts.

While charging for a basic social network account seems like a tall order, what’s really offensive is that according to their communication, they’re doing it to reduce spam on the platform. It is clear to all of us that spammers who hope to get an economic return from their actions are the most willing to accept payment for the use of the service, especially in a symbolic amount such as one euro. However, there are many users who just also because of the symbolism They would refuse to pay to use Twitter. Therefore, if this measure is extended, we can expect the exact opposite, more spam, stagnation in the volume of users and, as a result, an even greater loss of interest in the platform.