Social Media Updates

With Twitter being taken over by billionaire Elon Musk, the future of Twitter for businesses is unclear.

Musk has previously commented on what he would want to change about Twitter, focussing on cracking down on bots through introducing a subscription service for Twitter users, as well as growing the profitability of Twitter by increasing the number of ads on the platform.

 

Here’s what the future of Twitter could mean for businesses…

elon musk surrounded by twitter logos - what is the future of twitter for businesses?

Image source: MSNBC News

Bots have been around since the inception of the internet, with many being traced back to the 1980’s. The first recognised bot is linked to the emergence of Internet Relay Chat (1988), whereby bots would be used to sit in a channel and prevent it from closing due to inactivity.

Over the years, bots have developed and evolved into what it’s most notably recognised today as social media bots.

These spam accounts act as fake profiles on social media platforms, sometimes benevolently but more often than not, maliciously.

In recent years, bots have been dominating the world of Twitter, where they have often been implemented during political elections, or to push agendas.

They can also be used to automatically generate messages in Twitter threads, or to act as a follower of an account – also known as fake followers’ or ‘bought followers’.

With Musk’s plan to crackdown on Twitter bots under his new reign, businesses may see an impact on the accounts they run.

Musk proposes to bring in a subscription service for Twitter users, that would mean they could pay a $3 monthly fee and receive an authentication checkmark (or the little blue tick as it’s better known).

Twitter Blue, as it’s currently being dubbed, will offer subscribers custom colour options, and the ability to ‘undo’ or edit tweets.

For businesses, the small cost of a Twitter Blue account is not the issue, but rather the fact that many businesses rely on bots for ‘customer’ reviews, to boost a product or service, or to tweet positively about the brand.

It is unlikely that businesses will pay a subscription fee for each bot account, which could lead to a reduction in positive feedback, and a poorer reputation.

Although that does beg the question – should businesses be using bots for positive brand promotion, or should brands be committing themselves to transparency?

 

If you’re a business owner looking to understand Twitter and make the most of retweets, get in touch with our team of experts and book a bespoke training session.

Contact us on 01904 863511 or email info@pickandmixms.co.uk 

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