Twitter recently rolled out an anti-spam update to its Direct Messaging (DM) system, eliciting frustration among users on the platform. The update restricts non-Twitter Blue subscribers from initiating conversations with new users, which has raised concerns about its true intentions.
While Twitter maintains that the update is aimed at combating unwanted messages, many users perceive it as a subtle tactic to encourage subscriptions to the Twitter Blue service for regular DM communication. Even users who had previously allowed open access to their DMs are affected, as the update now defaults to only accepting message requests from verified users, making it challenging for non-subscribers to initiate contact without an existing connection.
To this:
I am really upset because I am a paying customer, and had “allow DMs from anyone” set for a very good reason.
Twitter clearly wants to push more people to pay for verified: I’m ok with this, but do NOT change my settings WITHOUT notifying me! pic.twitter.com/JH6oeWCCWD
— Gergely Orosz (@GergelyOrosz) July 15, 2023
Interestingly, the new policy treats verified and non-verified users equally, removing the priority section for Twitter Blue subscribers in the recipient’s box. This has led to questions about the value of the Blue subscription.
One Twitter user, GergelyOrosz, expressed dissatisfaction, stating, “Twitter clearly wants to push more people to pay for verified: I’m ok with this but do NOT change my settings WITHOUT notifying me!”
Twitter’s attempts to entice more subscribers with features like the Blue checkmark, custom icons, and extended character limits for tweets up to 25,000 have been met with limited success. In the face of Meta’s Threads gaining significant popularity, there is a genuine concern that disgruntled users may consider abandoning the platform. Twitter will need to strike a delicate balance between combating spam and facilitating genuine communication to retain its user base.