X is one of the biggest social media apps in the world. Formally known as Twitter, features mass discussions on topics like politics, sports, entertainment, the economy and much more. Many people use this app to get breaking news. Users can post text-based posts, photos, and videos on the platform, and also like and share. X includes a direct messaging interface and audio and video calling as key features. All the drama around Elon Musk buying X caused a loss of 32 million users in 2024. Still, the app has more than 00 million monthly active users, according to Musk.
When he bought the company in 2023 he changed it a lot, including the name. Users criticized what they saw as disinformation, hate speech, and rampant bots on the platform. One change that got everyone’s attention is the new blue checkmark. Before Musk, a blue checkmark was a verification badge showing official accounts of people like politicians or celebrities. Now, the blue checkmark is locked behind an 8-dollar-a-month paywall. You get some benefits, like the ability to post longer videos, and your content gets posted in the algorithm. Blue checkmark posts are a top priority, leading to users’ home pages filled with content from these accounts. People and the press have criticized this as X’s pay-to-win strategy.
This idea of paying for social media is a reality many may have to accept. Recently, Reddit said it will lock subreddits (forums where anyone who joins can post) behind paywalls. Not surprisingly, the Reddit community is unhappy about this. People do not like to pay for something that was previously free. For most users, social media is a platform to spread ideas, talk to people, promote business, etc. They also expect everyone to be a part of the discussion. Now it is heading where only those who pay may be able to join the conversation.
People are disappointed because what they valued most in social media was that they were free and easily accessible. Social media also allows people to exercise a right they hold dear, the right to free speech. Now with paywalls coming to these platforms, audiences will likely decrease or disappear. The state of the world economy hasn’t helped any. Everyone is watching their spending on non-necessities. Many believe it is not worth it to pay for social media, especially with a decrease in audiences and the depreciation of FOMO (fear of missing out). Smaller audiences mean fewer trends to find on the platform. It also means there is less news and fewer opportunities to advance individual knowledge and learn more about the world. That’s not what users signed up for.