It's been a very eventful week for the folks working at Twitter. The launch of Meta's Threads app rollout has given Elon Musk's social media platform a run for its money. But Musk's latest move is incentivizing content creators to stick with the bird app by paying them a portion of the site's ad revenue.
For content creators, this is clearly a boon. Musk tweeted on July 13 that payouts would even occur retroactively starting from the day he first announced the plan in February. Major accounts began posting screenshots of their payouts -- and some are pretty substantial. So what's the problem?
Some Twitter users are noticing that big payouts are going to problematic accounts.
So Elon seems to be paying the worst people on Twitter for their poison.
— Kurt Phillips🧛♂️ (@ARCCollective) July 13, 2023
Cool. 🫤 pic.twitter.com/tChwp2jURI
The question isn't whether or not the system for payouts is biased. Creators of all political leanings and content types are tweeting their payout numbers. But as many have pointed out, in the nine months since Elon Musk has taken over the social media platform, the billionaire's laissez-faire approach to free speech has turned the platform into a hub for racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, and other xenophobic language.
And, well, those posts do numbers.
As a result, several Twitter users are doubling down on their stance against the blue checkmark. Twitter users across the app are advising other users to refuse to engage with content they believe doesn't deserve their dollar -- many of which sport the infamous blue check. Twitter's recent move to verify users on a paid-subscription basis was met with heavy criticism and has become a litmus test for many as to who it is and isn't worth following.
It's been something I've been trying to do for a while now but DEFINITELY gonna keep doing now that folks are getting bags for farming rage engagement: If you see a Blue Check posting something crazy, do not dunk. Do not ratio. Do not QT. Just block/mute and move on. https://t.co/nK84wK745i
— local bIogger (@fergoe) July 13, 2023
If conducted on a larger scale, the resistance to the blue checkmark could move the money needle of Twitter's new payout system. Until then, users who angrily respond to content they see as hateful could risk rewarding the very person they disagree with.
