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The Bridge: Elon, Elon, Elon…after what feels like an eternity, Elon Musk’s purchase of social media platform, Twitter, is complete. As promised (dare we say feared), so too came the structural changes that may quite well signal the end of an era.
Content moderation reforms, advertiser exits (right behind executive firings), and questions about the company’s ability to sustain itself financially are at the forefront of most news sources this week. Oh…did we mention that you’ll probably be able to buy a “blue-check” verification soon. As a subscription service, of course. We’re sureeeeee spending money on a previously free (and exclusive) feature is exactly what’s going to keep users happy. Just kidding – Twitter has seen a steady decline in users for the past couple of years, with their already low Zoomer demographic decreasing even more (not to mention the decline of Twitter in general).
Click over to the full article to learn more about the status of this dumpster fire.
The Fuss with Musk
The 🐦 app finally has a new home under the watchful eye of Elon Musk. That’s right, twitter.com has officially been acquired by the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX – will wonders never cease?
As you can tell, we’re pretty bored by this (hostile?) takeover, and so is Gen Z. Twitter has seen a steady decline in users for the past couple of years, with their already low Zoomer demographic decreasing even more (not to mention the decline of Twitter in general).
But it gets…weirder?
In a matter of days, Musk has managed to lose/fire a handful of Twitter execs, while lessening the content moderation restrictions on the site. This has prompted numerous advertisers (the companies that pay to use Twitter so we don’t have to) to reconsider their current spending.
90% of Twitter’s income is from advertisers…so we’ll see how this goes.
Twit-Tax 💰
What do black-market scam artists and Elon Musk have in common (no, this is not a trick question)?
Both want to monetize verified accounts, with Elon offering verified accounts to anyone willing to pay $8.00/month. Verified accounts, or “blue checks”, have long signified to Twitter users that an account is safe and trustworthy. With this subscription model, anyone can tweet “verified” content out towards the masses. This isn’t helping to decrease the paranoia around misinformation and bots proliferating on the app that most Twitter users and advertisers are feeling right now.
Gen Z has recently been reported as the only generation using social media less, and we don’t blame them. With constant changes to their experience, apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and even TikTok break the trust of younger users.
For an app already on the decline with Zoomers, Elon’s takeover may very well be signaling the end of the Twitter era.
