Twitter, the global social media giant, has recently announced its plan to impose daily limits on the number of Direct Messages (DMs) that unverified accounts can send. The company stated that this move is part of its ongoing efforts to reduce spam in Direct Messages.
The announcement has sparked a wave of reactions from Twitter’s vast user base. Some users view the new announcement as a strategic push toward Twitter’s subscription service, Twitter Blue. A top comment from user @FGRAdam, which has garnered significant attention, criticizes Twitter for limiting basic features. He suggests that such changes could lead to competition from other apps, stating, “Changes like this are why other apps will start to compete, don’t limit your users on the basic stuff; this is not what Twitter is about.”
Community backlash and the broader implications
The backlash from the Twitter community has been largely negative. Verified and unverified users have voiced their concerns about the proposed changes. Some argue that limiting DMs for unverified accounts could result in verified accounts continuing to spam DMs. Others suggest that the move is more about Twitter pushing people to pay for verification to cover its operational costs, rather than genuinely fighting spam.
These changes could have far-reaching implications for Twitter’s user base and its competitive position in the social media landscape. If users feel that basic functionalities are being restricted, they may migrate to other platforms, potentially decreasing Twitter’s active user base. Furthermore, this could open up opportunities for competitors to attract dissatisfied Twitter users.
This decision is one of several significant changes to the platform under Elon Musk’s ownership. These include a significant rate limit on the number of posts users could see daily, introduced on July 1, to curb data scraping and “system manipulation”.
In April, Twitter also rolled out content monetization settings on its platform, enabling creators to monetize all forms of posts globally. Twitter has also said TweetDeck, a popular program that allows users to monitor several accounts at once, will only be available to verified users from next month.
These updates are in line with owner Elon Musk’s push to boost Twitter Blue subscriptions and impose restrictions on users not willing to shell out $8 every month for the plan.
Undoubtedly, the upcoming implementation of DM limits for unverified accounts marks another significant shift in Twitter’s strategy, which will continue to generate discussion and debate within the platform’s vast user base.
