Elon Musk limits the number of tweets and the internet explodes
If you are a Twitter user, you have probably noticed that something strange is happening on the social network. Since last Saturday, July 1, many users have encountered error messages when trying to continue reading tweets, since they have apparently exceeded the daily limit set by the platform.
What is going on, who is behind this measure, and how has the Internet reacted? In this article, we will explain in depth.
New Twitter limitations
The person responsible for this surprising decision is none other than Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who bought Twitter in October last year for $44 billion. Musk, who is also the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, announced through a tweet that the social network had imposed temporary limits on the reading of tweets to prevent “extreme levels of data mining” from occurring.
As explained by the tycoon, the limits apply as follows:
- Verified accounts: 10,000 posts per day.
- Unverified accounts: 1,000 posts per day.
- New unverified accounts: 500 posts per day.
These limits were changed over the weekend, as they were initially much lower: 6,000, 600 and 300 respectively. Musk said these changes were temporary and that the limits would soon be increased.
In addition, subscribers to Twitter Blue, the premium paid service offered by the social network for $8 per month, will be able to read up to 25,000 tweets per day, as well as write tweets up to 25,000 characters in length, exceeding the previous limit of 10,000 characters, and the current limit of 280 characters for all other users.
Why does Elon Musk want to limit the number of tweets per day?
The reason given by Musk to justify this measure is that he wants to combat data theft and abuse on the platform. As he said in a tweet, “several hundred organizations (perhaps more) were mining Twitter data extremely aggressively, to the point where it was affecting the user experience.”
Musk did not specify what kind of data was being extracted or by whom, but he referred to “system manipulation” as one of the problems he wants to fix. Some media have speculated that it could be bots, trolls, hackers or external agents trying to influence public opinion or elections.
Some users have pointed out that there are other more effective and less invasive ways to combat data theft and abuse, such as improving security, verification and moderation systems.
Internet explodes: criticism rains down on Musk’s new measures
As expected, the Internet’s reaction to this measure has been mostly negative. Thousands of users have complained on social networks about the technical problems and error messages that prevent them from accessing Twitter.
Many have expressed their discontent and outrage at what they consider an unfair and unnecessary limitation of their freedom of expression and access to information. Some have used hashtags such as #DEPTwitter or #BoycottTwitter to show their rejection of the measure.
Threads: Twitter’s new competition is now available
Faced with this situation, many users have begun to look for alternatives to Twitter, such as other social networks or digital platforms that allow them to express themselves freely and access the content they want.
One of the options that has attracted the most attention is Threads, a new social network developed by Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, which is presented as direct competition to Twitter, which fell like a glove for users, since it was released to the public days after this controversy.
What is Threads, and why is it considered Twitter’s new competitor?
Threads is a platform that allows you to create and read message threads, in the style of tweets, but with no character or reading limits. It also offers other advantages such as the possibility of editing messages, attaching images, videos or audios, creating polls, voting, or interacting with other users through reactions or comments.
Although it is true that it offers functions quite similar to Twitter, it is an app that does not have the limitations of its competitors, making it a new alternative that has attracted the attention of users.
Threads was officially launched last Saturday, July 1, coinciding with the beginning of Twitter’s limitations. According to its creators, it is a “free, open and decentralized” social network that respects users’ privacy and security, and is free of advertising and censorship.
According to data provided by the platform itself, Threads has registered more than one million users in its first 24 hours of operation, and has generated more than 10 million threads.
One of the reasons for the success of this new social network, is that it allows you to transfer your Instagram account data upon registration, including your profile picture, account description and accounts you follow. This makes it quite convenient for many to create an account on Threads and get followers in no time.
Conclusion: Will this be the end of Twitter?
There is no doubt that this year has been the worst year for this social network, even taking into account the controversies that occurred last 2022. However, it is still too early to say that this is the definitive end of Twitter.
Many users have amassed a large community on Twitter, and they will not let it go just like that, so there is still time to see the real consequences of Musk’s measures. We at Techshali.com will be watching and will bring you further relevant updates.