Twitter replies are changing in attempt to combat spam, but also to promote Twitter Blue

Nowadays, every development surrounding Musk’s takeover of Twitter feels like a brand new installment of a drama series. One of those shows where you don’t really vibe with it, yet you can’t really turn away when it is on.

Given the established track record of Neo-Twitter, it isn’t any wonder? Every announcement is a major change provoked by a decision to remove negativity, which — naturally — breeds negativity and brings controversy. But hey, that’s exactly the formula required for a good show!

In this latest episode, Elon Musk has introduces a brand new way through which replies on Twitter will work. While some may see this change as yet another way to incentivize Twitter Blue, Musk defends the change through describing it as a mechanism to combat bots and scammers.

In all honesty, that sounds like a reasonable motivator for bringing some changes. Twitter as a platform is notorious for targeted spam from bots or real-life scammers. This not only posed a danger to users, but was also annoying spam that everyone had to deal with. So what’s the plan? As per Musk’s own TL;DR on the topic, users will first see replies from those that they follow, then from those that are verified — as in, paying for Twitter Blue — and then from everyone else.

Musk isn’t straying from the obvious here, as his own Tweet ended with “You get what you pay for”. While being self-aware is a core-reason for him being such a popular figure, it won’t save him or his projects from the imminent backlash, as some users are bound to see this as a form of gatekeeping.

Surprisingly, thus far, it’s been quiet on the front. But, as we’ve established, this is a drama series, so you never know when you are in for a shocking twist. And if any major streaming platform is looking to pick-up on our idea to create a TV show about these events, we expect to be credited.