It’s not exactly clear what Musk meant by ‘system manipulation,’ though ‘data scraping’ is thought by most to refer to the pull of information from across the world wide web. That includes information found on social media.
It’s possible this move is aimed at reducing the amount of data available for collection by tech companies, in particular those running software that heavily relies on web-based AI learning systems, such as ChatGPT and Bard.
Platforms designed to spark discussion – like Reddit and Twitter, for example – are goldmines for these language-based AI learning models. The more content there is to source, the ‘smarter’ AI tools can become.
Hoping to monetise off the breadth of data found on Twitter early on, Elon Musk enforced a fee for companies looking to access its application programming interface (API), which many AI companies currently adhere to.
Now, sceptics believe the newly announced content limits are another ploy to earn the platform more money, by cornering users into paying for a verified account to obtain extra scrolling time.
https://twitter.com/JamesMelville/status/1675805025942093824
What’s the reaction to the restrictions?
Avid users of Twitter have insofar been overwhelmed by the changes brought on by Elon Musk’s ownership.
The company only became profitable in recent years, thanks to the almost immediate launch of its monthly paid subscription program. Decade-long users of Twitter saw the move as a blatant sign that Musk is looking to capitalise on platform while creating a hierarchy within it.
It didn’t sit well – and still doesn’t – with most.
This novel structure is vastly different from how Twitter operated in the past.
So it’s no surprise that #TwitterIsDead has been trending on the platform, with over 24,000 tweets directly discussing the new #TwitterLimits. Many of these posts are accompanied by screenshots of various in-app error messages.
And despite these new limits being labelled as ‘temporary,’ many believe that the relatively new billionaire CEO is aiming to push more users into paying for freedom on a platform that has been free for over a decade.
For now, few further details have been revealed.
But Musk has not held back on laughing at the reaction of users, saying: ‘‘The reason I set a “View Limit” is because we are all Twitter addicts and need to go outside. I’m doing a good deed for the world here. Also, that’s another view you just used.’
He continued further, writing in satirical poem form, he added: ‘you awake from a deep trance, step away from the phone to see your friends & family.’
In its heyday, Twitter users would frequently reply to funny content on the platform asking how the app continued to run free of charge for so long. Under Elon Musk’s ownership, it may not remain that way for much longer.
0 comments
