KEY POINTS
- Twitter is experiencing an enormous shakeup following Elon Musk's acquisition.
- Sweeping changes are already on the way, including a payment-verification option for users.
- Here's what you can expect from the bluebird app - and where else you can go if you've lost interest (and hope).
Twitter is likely never going to be the same again.
As Elon Musk begins a major shakeup of Twitter, no time has been wasted in implementing a raft of changes to his newly-acquired social media network.
Culling half of the workforce, axing the news curation team and monetising the verified blue tick — these are just some of the changes he's implemented.
Approximately 5.8 million Australians have active Twitter accounts. This is how they can expect the social media network to dramatically transform - and what alternatives they can explore if they're unhappy.
What are the changes?
Twitter Blue
Twitter has updated its app on Apple's app store to charge $12 a month for the iconic blue tick in a 'Twitter Blue' subscription.
The tick, once known as a symbol to verify one's identity, was granted to high-profile figures such as celebrities, politicians and journalists, for free.
Now, it means something else entirely.
In a bid to combat the "battle against the bots", Mr Musk said that those who have a Twitter Blue subscription will be prioritised in the algorithm.
"If you're payment-verified ... you'll be prioritised," he said in an interview on Friday at a conference in New York.
A 'Twitter Blue' subscription also means users will see half the ads already viewed on the app and made "twice as relevant" to the user, with longer tweets and videos also on the cards for those who are willing to pay for the tick.
Staff sweep-out
Upon securing Twitter, Mr Musk dissolved the entire board of executives and reportedly sacked half of the entire workforce on Friday, according to Reuters.
He's wiped out the teams responsible for human rights, news curation, those who make the network accessible for people with disability, as well as a range of engineers who controlled algorithmic transparency.
Australians were among the now-former Twitter staff who were locked out of their work accounts on Friday, with offices around the world shut down. People were told to check their emails by 3am (AEST) if they still had a job.
Content moderation
One of the most contentious points that users have with Twitter under Mr Musk is how content will be moderated, said Terry Flew, professor of Digital Communication and Culture at the University of Sydney.
But Mr Musk has reiterated that the content moderation won't change, and is dedicated to keeping the network a safe place for all.
"Moderation rules and hateful conduct rules have not changed and we are continuing to enforce them," Mr Musk said. "We've not made any changes in our operations at all."
He's announced that a content moderation council will be set up to be responsible for regulating what is approved or removed from Twitter.
Return of Donald Trump to Twitter?
While he said accounts previously suspended for violating the network's conduct rules won't be reinstated until the council is established in some weeks, there are rising fears former US President Donald Trump could make his way back onto Twitter.
Mr Trump's account was permanently removed from Twitter last year following the to remove the risk of "further incitement of violence".
"I would predict that if the Republicans do well in the midterms coming up this week, you'll see us must move fairly quickly to allow Trump back on to Twitter," Professor Flew said.
What does it mean for you?
How this will impact the overall Twitter experience is yet to be seen, said Professor Flew.
"I think the whole question of whether reducing resources is going turn the site into a kind of hellhole is, we'll see," he said.
While Professor Flew said that the negative consequences of Twitter changes have been publicised more than any potential benefits, public outcry has been enormous.
"It would have to be said that the concern among its user base - well, it's massive," he said.
He explained users are expressing concern with Elon Musk's "direction that he might take the platform" to improve free speech on the internet.
Not a fan? Here are other Twitter alternatives
If you're disinterested in engaging on Elon Musk's Twitter, you're not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have flocked to social media websites that act as alternatives to the 'bluebird app'.
Arguably one of the most popular alternatives is Mastodon, which has received 230,000 new users in the past week - since Elon Musk took over Twitter.
It's a decentralised, open-source, ad-free network where users establish their own servers for personalised communities on chronological timelines.
Ironically, the alternate network is trending worldwide on the very app it's competing against.
Other options that people have turned to are Tribel Social, branding itself as "social media done right" with a pro-democracy motto, and the left-leaning platform Counter Social.
