The DA’s Federal Council Chairperson, Helen Zille, has given Musk’s $8 (about R145) blue tick subscription her nod of approval saying that it confirms his intention of turning Twitter into a “ public town square involving real people and not bot armies”.
The Pretoria-born business magnate and investor began his acquisition of Twitter on April 14, 2022, and concluded the deal, not without some controversy, on October 27, 2022.
Musk has since confirmed that the company will charge $8 a month as part of a Twitter Blue membership.
Zille, an avid Twitter user, said of the move: “1/ Good news that@elonmusk is going to levy account-holders a monthly fee so that he can confirm that they are real people and not fake bot accounts".
"That will see the number of Twitter accounts drop by millions. It will also confirm that @elonmusk is committed to turning Twitter into the public town square, involving real people, not digitally manipulated bot armies, adding volume to various nefarious agendas".
1/ Good news that @elonmusk is going to levy account-holders a monthly fee so that he can confirm that they are real people, and not fake bot accounts.
— Helen Zille (@helenzille) November 2, 2022
Musk has told the media that the price will fluctuate depending on “country proportionate to purchasing power parity”. The blue tick will come with added benefits of priority replies, mentions and search.
Meanwhile, advertisers like General Mills are leaving the social media platform. According to The Guardian , the company spokesperson Kelsey Roemhildt said: “ We will continue to monitor this new direction and evaluate our marketing spend.”
