From paying for DMs to free edit button, a guide to big changes Elon Musk is bringing to Twitter

Elon Musk on Wednesday announced that it would be ‘at least a few more weeks’ until banned accounts would be allowed back on Twitter. The world’s richest man has made a slew of announcements since taking over the popular social networking site – from announcing that users would need to pay for verification to proposing a revival of the video platform Vine. Let’s take a look at the big changes coming to Twitter Restoring banned accounts On Wednesday, Musk spoke about an issue many people are monitoring closely – the potential return of former US president Donald Trump and many other banned figures to the social media platform. Trump, remember, was deplatformed from Twitter for inciting last year’s attack on the US Capitol by a mob seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The potential reinstatement of such accounts banned for violating the site’s content moderation rules has been seen as a bellwether of where Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” wants to take the site he describes as a global town square.  

But according to the South African billionaire, the wait is set to continue – for now.

“Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks,” he tweeted. That means Elon will wait until after crucial 8 November midterm elections in the United States, which will determine control of Congress, to make any move. Trump, once a prolific tweeter, retains a powerful hold on his Republican Party, and has reopened his 2020 playbook by questioning the integrity of the upcoming election. [caption id=“attachment_11481411” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Donald Trump has claimed he would not return to Twitter. AP[/caption] Since Musk took Twitter private last week, Trump has suggested he would be happier sticking with his own Truth Social messaging platform. But the former president’s network has financial issues and many political strategists believe he would find it hard to resist the mass audience and influence offered by a return to Twitter, where he was once one of the site’s biggest global draws. Musk was tweeting in response to a post from the company’s head of safety, Yoel Roth, on Twitter’s efforts to combat disinformation ahead of the elections. “We’re staying vigilant against attempts to manipulate conversations about the 2022 US midterms,” Roth said. Musk also said he had talked to civil society leaders “about how Twitter will continue to combat hate & harassment & enforce its election integrity policies.” The announcement comes only days after the world’s wealthiest man took sole control of the social media giant in a contentious $44 billion deal, vowing to dial back content moderation. Paying for blue tick, direct messaging Musk on Tuesday said the site will charge $8 per month to verify users’ accounts. He claimed the plan would upend the platform’s “current lords & peasants system” and create a new revenue stream for the company. “Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” he tweeted, in reference to the platform’s famous blue checkmark that signals a verified, authentic account.

Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit.

Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022

The new plan’s pricing would be adjusted by country “proportionate to purchasing power parity,” Musk added in the replies to his original tweet, and would also include “priority” in replying to and searching posts, which he called “essential to defeat spam/scam.” There would also be expanded audio and video abilities, fewer ads, and the possibility for users to get a “paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us,” he said. “This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators,” Musk tweeted. The SpaceX and Tesla chief floated the $8 subscription fee idea earlier Tuesday in a tweet reply to author Stephen King, who was complaining about reports that the verification service could cost $20 per month.

We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022

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As per Indian Express, Twitter earlier employed its own criteria to assign its now famed blue tick to celebrities, journalists and politicians. Users were allowed to apply for the verified badge across multiple categories for both individuals as well as organisations. The process was also free, users who had applied for the blue tick or the ones who were deemed eligible for one were not charged, and users could also reapply once every 30 days, as per the newspaper. Security researcher and blogger Jane Manchun Wong also tweeted today that Twitter is working on “Paid DMs.”

Twitter is working on “Paid DMs”

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) November 2, 2022

Free edit button In addition to offering verification privileges, the new program would take over the existing functions of Twitter Blue – currently available for $5 per month in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – which, for example, allows users to edit their tweets. Platformer’s Casey Newton reported that this long-sought after change could be coming to Twitter. It is important to note that while Musk has not recently expressed his thoughts on this subject, this was something he earlier brought up on Twitter after picking up a stake in the company. Twitter itself confirmed it was working on the free edit button hours after Musk put up a poll asking his followers if they were in favour of such a feature. Reviving Vine Remember when Vine was a thing? It was. Trust us. Anyway, in the age of Tik-Tok, Musk now wants to resuscitate the short-lived video-sharing platform. He even put up a poll asking his followers if he should follow through:

Bring back Vine?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022

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The vast majority of his followers agreed that he should. **Twitter bought**  Vine in 2012, just five months after the platform launched and became an overnight sensation. However, in 2016, Twitter pulled the shutter down on Vine, taking it off the market completely, mainly because of growing competition. It was a decision that surprised many, mainly because of how popular Vine was, in spite of the rising competition. There was also the fact that TikTok, one of Vine’s main competitors was paying Vine’s top creators to sign exclusive, multi-million dollar deals with them. The 51-year-old Musk has announced a sweeping changes at Twitter, with the entire board, including  CEO Parag Agrawal, let go last week. The Washington Post reported that Musk, whose account bio currently reads “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator,” plans to fire some 75 percent of his new company’s 7,500 employees. Musk’s previous comments condemning Twitter’s content moderation policies as heavy-handed – as well as his frequent posts of boundary-testing memes – has given pause to some advertisers, the company’s main source of revenue. He tried to calm the nerves by reassuring that the site would not become a “free-for-all hellscape,” and announced the formation of a content moderation council. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.