Merriam-Webster’s Sarcastic Tweet
Merriam-Webster, one of the leading publishers of English-language dictionaries, is known for its witty and sarcastic posts on social media. However, the company’s recent tweet mocking Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue subscription service went viral and garnered more attention than usual.
The tweet introduced a mock subscription-only service labeled “Merriam-Webster Red,” which was meant to satirize Musk’s Twitter Blue. Merriam-Webster stated that subscribers would receive “A+ dictionary access” and a “red checkmark to explain words to Elon.”
Twitter Blue and the Controversy Surrounding It
Musk’s Twitter Blue subscription service has faced several criticisms since its introduction. The social media platform offers users a blue checkmark badge for a fee, which signifies their accounts as verified. This feature has been helpful in differentiating between real and fake accounts.
However, the platform has received backlash for allowing people with money to receive verification badges while authentic accounts are left unverified. Furthermore, only paying subscribers will soon be able to vote in polls or appear on Twitter’s “For You” recommendations tab.
Celebrities such as Monica Lewinsky, William Shatner, and Jennifer Tilly have expressed displeasure with the latest changes made by Musk to the social media platform.
Musk’s Changes to Twitter
Musk announced that verified users will be forced to pay up to $11 a month to keep their legacy status. While the plan has sparked controversy online, Musk argues that paid social media will be the only social media that matters in the future.
Additionally, users who do not pay for Twitter Blue will no longer be able to vote in polls or have their tweets appear on the ‘For You’ tab. Jake Moore, a tech expert, suggested that this decision may be due to Twitter hemorrhaging money.
The decision by Musk to remove features from unpaid accounts has become a topic of discussion among social media enthusiasts. The debate revolves around whether it is fair to expect users to pay for services that were previously free.
Twitter’s Secret VIP List
Twitter has a secret VIP list of a few dozen accounts that it monitors and boosts in its recommendation algorithm. The list includes prominent Twitter users such as Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Mr. Beast, LeBron James, AOC, Marc Andreesen, and Ben Shapiro.
The list was initially created to monitor the engagement received by Twitter power users and allay suspicions about “shadowbans” of certain users. However, it has been reported that Musk has tweaked Twitter’s algorithm in the past to boost his own tweets.
Moreover, it is reported that Twitter employees have changed the algorithm to favor him after he was upset that his Super Bowl tweet did not receive as much engagement as Biden’s. While Musk has promised to make Twitter’s recommendation algorithms open-source, it remains unclear if this change will affect the VIP list of users who regularly get a boost in the feed.
Overall, Musk’s latest changes to Twitter have sparked debates on paid social media services and led Merriam-Webster to satirize Twitter Blue. Whether these changes will result in positive or negative outcomes for the platform and its users remains to be seen.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
