Twitter is exploring a subscription-based model – called “super follows” – where users can charge followers for access to exclusive content.
“Exploring audience funding opportunities like Super Follows will allow creators and publishers to be directly supported by their audience and will incentivise them to continue creating content that their audience loves,” reveals a Twitter spokesperson.
The social platform’s Head of Product, Kayvon Beykpour says that the exclusive content could include anything from tweets and direct messages to audio conversations and newsletters.
“We also think that an audience-funded model, where subscribers can directly fund the content that they value most, is a durable incentive model that aligns the interest of creators and consumers,” says Dantley Davis, Chief Design Officer at Twitter.
The subscription model is being tested internally. Twitter is yet to reveal when (or if) this feature will launch.
Twitter to Label the Verified Accounts of Governments and Officials
Twitter is planning to label the verified accounts of governments and government officials. The social media network believes this will help users when interacting with these leaders and associated institutions by adding context to what people see on Twitter.
According to an official blog post, Twitter says it will add labels to the following accounts:
- Verified accounts of key government officials, including foreign ministers, institutional entities, ambassadors, official spokespeople, and key diplomatic leaders. At this time, our focus is on senior officials and entities who are the official voice of the state abroad;
- Personal accounts of heads of state, from phase 1 and phase 2 countries.
In a tweet, the platform reveals exactly what these new labels will look like to users:
When it comes to conversations with government and state-affiliated media accounts on Twitter, we’re helping to make the experience more transparent.
We'll now use two distinct profile labels for these types of accounts, so you can easily identify them and their Tweets. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/JW67o422MO
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) August 6, 2020
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