Meanwhile in #Muskville ...
Wheels are churning @ #Twitter HQ, apparently... First are all the promos (nee 'grift' ?) for the new "Twitter Blue".
Twitter Blue
For the average user (who probably doesn't exist), the 'vision' is a subscriber base where every ordinary human entity must pay $8/month to be "verified" and get that iconic blue check. What does that mean now? It means you paid $8USD and provided a phone # by which they can reward with you with "only" 1/2 the ads now running amok in comment feeds and anywhere they can put what advertisers they have, getting terrific rates on "promo" blasting. That's the carrot, less ads (not even ad-free like YouTube Red!), but you are allowed to be seen rather than having all your tweets go right into the ethernet dumpster.
And then, hit up the corporations who buy your ads, say $1000/mo ('protection'?)... to deliver a cult of paid subscribers:
Elon Musk Wants to Charge Businesses on Twitter $1,000 per Month to Retain Verified Check-Marks
Cause/effect and #psychology would both predict chaos and/or implosion as the Old "Town Square"is now a place for well-heeled anarchy, and/or deeply invested devotees of #GQP, #MuskVirus, #racism, #disinformation, #hate, #division, and #sedition.
Meanwhile, those not paying $1000 or $8 or attention, will see only promoted ads and sites, plus dedicated cultists & #Musk lovers.
How does he expect businesses to pay $1000/mo as "insurance" of keeping a large audience, while also charging users - who still see ads, while parading their own "verification" blue check, which means Twitter has a phone number to monetize. Not much more.
