Twitter, one of the world’s leading social media platforms, is experiencing a significant change in its usage guidelines, a move that has sparked controversy across the global user community.
The change, announced by CEO Elon Musk on Saturday, imposes restrictions on the number of posts users can read daily, an attempt to tackle what Musk describes as “extreme levels” of data scraping and system manipulation from the platform.
The new limitations are differentiated for verified and unverified users. Verified account holders are now allowed to browse up to 10,000 posts per day, while unverified users have a limit of 1,000 posts. For new unverified users who joined after the announcement, the number is even lower at 500 posts per day.
Now to 10k, 1k & 0.5k
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2023
These measures are part of what Musk referred to as a “temporary emergency measure” and he assured users that these limitations are only temporary, with plans in place to gradually increase the allowances.
While these measures were put in place to protect the platform’s integrity, they have not been without consequences. Numerous Twitter users have reported experiencing issues with their home feeds and comment threads, leading to frustration and confusion in the community.
This discontent has manifested itself in the form of the trending hashtag, “#TwitterDown,” which has gained significant traction since the announcement on Saturday.
Adding to the controversy, Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange, known popularly as “CZ,” has voiced his disagreement with the new restrictions.
Zhao suggested that the limitations should apply to posting on the platform, not just reading. This would ensure only valuable content is shared, enhancing the quality of discourse on the platform.
Actually, only commenting need to be limited. IMO.
— CZ 🔶 Binance (@cz_binance) July 1, 2023
According to him, the focus also should be on restricting only commenting activities.
Zhao’s comments highlight an ongoing debate about the balance between freedom of information and the need to protect digital platforms from misuse.
Musk’s move comes on the heels of a series of notable changes since his acquisition of Twitter and his assuming the CEO role in 2022, which includes the introduction of premium accounts known as Twitter Blue.
These accounts offer users the option to subscribe for a monthly fee of $8, and the ability to create content exclusively for their subscribers, expanding the platform’s range of engagement and interaction.