Big changes are happening over at social media powerhouse X. Elon Musk has declared that X will now be dishing out premium features to users who’ve got a decent following.
What’s new with X?
Imagine the surprise when many users found out they’d been gifted premium subscriptions, complete with that sought-after blue badge. Musk’s announcement on March 27th stated that accounts with over 2,500 verified followers get Premium, and those with 5,000 or more get the VIP treatment with Premium+.
So, what’s in the VIP lounge? Well, less ads for one. Plus, your replies get bumped up in visibility. Premium+ even throws in access to Grok, X’s rival to ChatGPT. And get this – Grok was initially just for the top dogs, but they’re spreading the love to Premium members too.
Remember when Musk snatched away everyone’s blue verification badge, only giving it back to paying subscribers? Yeah, that didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Only around 830,000 folks coughed up for X Premium. But now, with freebies for the influencers, maybe things will heat up.
But here’s the kicker – there aren’t that many accounts with enough followers to snag these free perks. Oliver Alexander, an open-source intelligence analyst, counted only a handful meeting the criteria. So… is it really a game-changer?
What’s over the horizon?
Meanwhile, Meta, X’s parent company, is not sitting idly by. Reports indicate that they are experimenting with cash bonuses for engaging content creators on Threads and Instagram, signalling fierce competition.
I think we can all agree here, that it certainly seems like X has been making some controversial decisions for quite a long time now. Other social media, however, like TikTok, continue to grow and develop their viewer count through changes like the TikTok Shop.
It might be a bit of a sad prospect, after being familiar with it for so long, but it’s starting to look like X is now becoming a thing of the past…
The viewer counts of social media in 2024 support this. A report from Khoros indicated that (approximately) TikTok has a 600 million difference in viewer count than X as of 2024.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the landscape of social media is in constant flux, with platforms like X and Meta vying for user attention and loyalty.
Elon Musk’s announcement of free premium features for influencers on X represents a bold move to shake things up and retain influential voices on the platform.
While the strategy aims to attract and retain users, questions linger about its inclusivity and effectiveness. Meanwhile, Meta’s experimentation with cash incentives underscores the fierce competition in the industry.
As users navigate these changes, one thing remains certain – the evolution of social media platforms promises more surprises and innovations ahead. Strap in, because the ride is far from over in the world of social media.
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