Twitter chief Elon Musk seemingly remains heedless even as criticism over the microblogging site’s announcement to charge $8 a month for ‘blue -tick’ verification continues. In the latest swipe, American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter on Wednesday, to mock billionaire Musk’s supposed plans to reinstate ‘free-speech’ on the social media platform following its takeover.
Cortez also known as AOC tweeted, “Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually a $8/month subscription plan.” Musk, who has repeatedly reiterated his position on this earliersaid AOC’s feedback was appreciated but she will still have to pay the fee.
“Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8.” His response was also shared by his mother – model Maye Musk who simply laughed off the exchange through emojis.
As the exchange between the duo blew up, people flooded the thread with their views and comments. While some backed Musk, suggesting he’d also taken the position of “chief trolling officer” at Twitter, others tried to argue why Musk shouldn’t charge the fee.
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“In a world where there is a legit person who doesn’t want to pay $8 and spam accounts that are willing to pay $8, it dilutes the value of the mark since it no longer indicates who is a verified person, now it just indicates those – who are $8 poorer,” a user said.
Tesla chief, who now has 5 companies on his watchhad earlier reacted to criticism by rather not reacting and shrugging the critics saying, “To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8.” Musk – in a series of tweets – had also informed that verified accounts will get “priority in replies, mentions and search, ability to post long video and audio, and half as many ads”.
However, many people have raised concerns that the move to charge a fee for verification might contribute to an influx of unattended information overload on the site and reduce the availability of credible sources.
