What Is Happening to Twitter? All the Platform’s New Reforms

Twitter has experienced dramatic changes since Elon Musk took over in October 2022. The new ownership has implemented several drastic updates that have often come as surprises. For instance, the rollout of the Twitter Blue program met a lot of backlash but has succeeded quite greatly. Apart from that, several questions concern what is happening to Twitter. Shortly after Twitter went under new ownership, the company laid off over 80% of its workforce. The owner would eventually relay that the company did not necessarily need that much staff. The most recent event on Twitter was the company’s payout to content creators on the platform. In the same way, there are several other revisions to the platform’s functionality. This article discusses what is happening to Twitter.

What Is Happening to Twitter Right Now? Discover All the Latest Updates

The drastic changes accompanying Twitter since the takeover in late 2022 have caused much alarm. At first, most of these changes were unexpected and repelled just as one would expect. For instance, many previously verified individuals refused to subscribe to the blue check mark. However, these updates became more normal down the line. But still, there are several questions regarding what is happening on Twitter right now.

Rebranding Twitter to X

If you have recently looked for your Twitter app and you don’t recognize it, you might question what is happening on Twitter. Various changes are happening as part of the Twitter rebrand, and a Twitter logo change is one of them. Sadly, the company replaced Larry the Bird, Twitter’s longtime mascot and icon, with a bold “X.”

On July 23, 2023, Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, announced a rebranding, changing Twitter to X. He tweeted that the Twitter name change means “to embody the imperfections in us all that make us unique.”

The Twitter to X rebranding comes with a lot of questions. One of these questions is whether X will continue using the term “tweets.” Musk informed the public that “X’s” or “posts” are the terms to refer to tweets going forward. As of now, the most significant change is Twitter renamed to X. However, we’re sure more changes will come down the pipeline later.

Twitter Blue and the New Market for Verification Checkmarks

Twitter 2.0 was the dub of the social media app’s new era, which began in 2022. The new ownership had plans to dramatically transform the platform, incorporating several innovations into the social media service’s new version. Although there were many things on the checklist, the verification feature first underwent revamping. So, it is one of the first issues when considering what is happening to Twitter.

Initially, people’s accounts had to be notable, authentic, and active to qualify for the verification checkmark. In that era, most verified accounts belonged to popular and influential individuals and organizations. At that point, each verified account had a uniformly blue checkmark. However, this is not the case anymore.

To qualify for the verification service, users must now meet these criteria:

1. They must subscribe to X Premium.
2. Users must complete their profiles. In essence, their profiles must have display names and profile pictures.
3. They must also confirm their phone numbers, and the accounts must be active within the past 30 days. 
4. The accounts must be non-deceptive and not misleading.

At first, the Twitter Blue service ignited much chaos since people could actively impersonate influential individuals and large corporations. Subsequently, the program has garnered more decorum due to the frequent improvements characterizing the feature. Notably, the social media company introduced several other colors of verification checkmarks. Gold checkmarks now characterize registered organizations, while gray checkmarks represent government or multilateral organizations and individuals.

Reinstatement of Previously Banned Accounts

Twitter was previously renowned for suspending people it considered to violate its policy. The company banned several accounts indefinitely, but this would change under the new ownership. Since the takeover, the platform has reinstated several previously suspended accounts. These include Donald Trump, Majorie Taylor Greene, Kathy Griffin, the Babylon Bee, Andrew Tate, and Jordan B Peterson.

While Twitter had initially suspended most of these accounts for hate speech, issues like this no longer pose violations. So, these reinstatements represent one of the most paramount occurrences surrounding what is happening to Twitter.

Twitter Source Code Is Now Public

Initially, people were in the dark about what’s happening to Twitter source code. But before the takeover, Musk had promised to make Twitter’s source code available to the public. This action was to promote transparency on the social media platform. The platform went ahead with this plan on March 31st, 2023, making some of its code public. For starters, Twitter published its source code on GitHub. It included the code for its recommendation algorithm, twemoji, scalding, serial, metrics, community notes, bijection, and text.

In another vein, the company restricted the Twitter API, which was initially free for public use. It announced in March 2023 that the Basic API access would require a $100 monthly fee while the Pro access would cost $5000.

The Controversy Surrounding the State-Affiliated Media Label

If you’re concerned with what is happening to Twitter, the issue surrounding state affiliation once became a major topic. Previously, Twitter reserved the tag labeling accounts “state-affiliated media” for those with links to state media or government officials. This label was mostly prominent on the accounts of media corporations in Russia and China. However, the social media company labeled the National Public Radio’s account “US State-Affiliated Media” in April 2023.

This addition sparked a wave of controversy since many people widely considered NPR an independent news’s organization. A while later, the social media company replaced the designation from “US state-affiliated media” to “government-funded media.” Because of this, the media company halted operations on the platform in protest of the tag.

The social media company added the same tag to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s account a week later. A day later, the company changed the label to “70% government-funded media.” The company later changed the number on the label to 69%. Just like the NPR, the CBC announced that it would cease activities on the social media platform. Finally, Twitter removed all the labels from Western, Chinese, and Russian media outlets on April 21st, 2023.

Monetization for Creators via Subscriptions and Ad Revenue

Twitter has recently launched new monetization products for creators on the platform. The first feature the company rolled out was the subscriptions program, a rebuild of the old “Twitter Super Follows” feature. Subscriptions allow creators on the platform to provide exclusive content, access, and other benefits to followers who purchase a monthly subscription.

This feature offers a way for creators to earn from their followers. In this case, the company allows creators to set the monthly cost of the subscription from the options available. Subscribers enjoy exclusive tweets, dedicated spaces, a badge, and a specific subscription tweets tab.

In July 2023, Twitter started sharing its revenue from Ads with major creators on the platform. The company began sharing revenue from the ads served in the replies. The company relayed that only verified creators with at least five million impressions in the past three months were eligible. With regard to what’s happened to Twitter, the monetization aspect remains one of the most remarkable.

What Is Happening to Twitter Regarding Its Rate Limit?

On the last day of June 2023, Twitter limited unregistered users from accessing profiles and tweets on the social platform. The owner called the limit an “emergency measure,” insisting it was temporary. He also relayed that the massive data scraping activities of hundreds of organizations prompted the precautionary measure.

On July 1st, 2023, the company took further measures to prevent data scraping. This time, it limited the number of tweets a user could view on an account per day. While verified users could see up to 6,000 tweets daily, unverified users could only view 600 tweets daily. Many users exceeded their tweet limit almost immediately, triggering tons of backlash. Shortly afterward, the company increased the limit for verified users to 8,000, increasing unverified users’ rates to 600. Some hours later, Twitter boosted the rate to 10,000 tweets for verified users and 1,000 for unverified users. The rate limit was one of the major issues that made people wonder about what’s happened to Twitter.

What Is Happening to Twitter Stock? Where Did the Shareholder-Owned Stock Go?

Before the Twitter takeover in October 2022, the company’s stock TWTR was available as a publicly traded stock. However, the complete overhaul of the company’s ownership promised drastic changes to how the company operated further. For this reason, people, mostly company shareholders, had questions about what is happening to Twitter stock.

What’s Happened to Twitter Stock on the Stock Exchange

Twitter’s stock was available on the market from 2013 until it went private. For this reason, people often wonder about what’s happened to Twitter stock on the exchange market. First, the company’s privatization immediately took its stock off the stock market. This meant that people could no longer trade the stock since it went into private ownership. The New York Stock Exchange removed Twitter’s stock the morning after the parties finalized the deal.

Because of the privatization, the company had to liquidate the existing shares, paying the shareholders its cash equivalent. Since then, the company has remained off the stock exchange, with the American billionaire holding almost all the company’s stake.

What’s Happened to Twitter Shareholders

People often wonder what’s happened to Twitter shareholders after the change in ownership. Immediately after Twitter entered private ownership, its initial shareholders no longer held any rights afterward. The company’s shareholders received a cash equivalent value for each share at $54.20 during the purchase. This rate per share came from an agreement among the shareholders during a meeting in September 2022.

In the end, the price was a substantial premium. This means the sale paid the shareholders more than they would have earned selling their stocks in the free market. Shareholders who held the company’s stock for less than a year were subject to short-term capital gains tax. On the other hand, shareholders with shares they held over a year were subject to long-term capital gains taxes.

How to Block What’s Happening on Twitter: Removing These Trends From Your Feed

Trends form a major aspect of interactions on Twitter. How does this work? The social media platform notes users’ hottest topics and discussions, placing them among trends. These trends generally comprise issues that users widely mention within a specific time. Twitter then places these topics in the “What’s Happening” section of the Explore tab. However, some users are often uninterested in these topics. Because of this, there are concerns about how to block what’s happening on Twitter.

Blocking What’s Happening on Twitter From the Website

While Twitter continually recommends tweets for your feeds, explore, and trends, you can choose which topics to remove from view. These recommendations mostly cover what is happening to Twitter. However, users might not have an interest in specific topics and discussions. The platform’s web version offers a convenient way of dealing with the problem. This is because it offers an efficient way to complete this activity without sweat.

Here are eight steps to block the “What’s Happening” trends from the website:

1. First, launch a web browser, preferably on your computer, open a new tab, and load the Twitter website. 
2. Log into the website with your sign-in credentials. The website will immediately place you on your homepage. 
3. Click the “More” option from the homepage at the bottom left corner. Several further options will shoot from there. 
4. Click the “Settings and Support ” option.
5. Then click the “Settings and Privacy” option. The website will redirect you to your settings menu. 
6. Click the “Privacy and Safety” option from the menu. A flurry of options will appear beside the previous menu. 
7. Click “Content you see.” The page will show several options and a checkbox on the right side of the screen. 
8. Click the “Interests” option. The website will alphabetically display all your interests with a checkbox beside each item.

From there, scroll down the list of your interests, unchecking the box beside those you no longer wish to follow. Twitter automatically picks your interests from the topics you interact with. So, you may be surprised at having a lengthy list of interests. Nonetheless, unchecking an item blocks it from your “What’s Happening” tab.

Blocking What’s Happening on Twitter From the Mobile App

Twitter’s mobile application offers robust functionalities, allowing users to enjoy most of the features available on the website. Again, the tab that covers what is happening on Twitter also plays its role in the app. However, users still wonder if they can adjust this feature from the social application. Luckily, it offers a similarly simple approach to implementing the changes.

Here are eight steps to completing this action:

1. First, open the Twitter application on your Android or iOS device. Also, ensure that you’ve logged into your account.
2. From the homepage, tap the profile avatar at the top left corner of your screen. The app will open up the side menu.
3. On the side menu, tap the “Settings and Support” option that opens up several others. 
4. Tap the “Settings and Privacy” option. The app will immediately take you to your “Settings” page. 
5. Choose the “Privacy and Safety” option from the full list on the “Settings” page. The app will direct you to another page.
6. Tap the “Content you see” option.
7. Then, tap on “Interests.” The mobile application will alphabetically display a comprehensive list of your interests with a checkbox beside each item.
8. Scroll down the list and uncheck the interests you wish to erase from your “What’s Happening” feeds.

Again, the social platform collates a comprehensive list of all the topics you’ve interacted with. While it may surprise you to come across topics you’ve not interacted with recently, the platform stores them all.

Is What’s Happening to Twitter Spell Its Decline? Are Twitter Killers Succeeding?

Due to the dramatic events characterizing Twitter since its ownership change, many news outlets have consistently predicted the company’s decline. But does what is happening to Twitter indicate its demise? First, Bloomberg News recently spelled out that Twitter was dying from the massive competition targeting its place in the industry. This point could be valid, as seen when Meta launched a new social platform, Threads, on July 5th, 2023.

However, others have insisted that Meta’s Threads is unlikely to overtake Twitter. This factor has manifested in the sharp decline of Meta’s new platform after it had hit 100 million users. Twitter is here to stay; this is not the first time people have predicted its decline.

While you may consider exiting Twitter due to recent changes, removing some of your content is essential. In some instances, it becomes crucial to erase tweets in bulk. For this activity, TweetDelete is the ideal option for you.

At TweetDelete, we’ve launched a simple web application for filtering and deleting multiple tweets. This web app imports and loads Twitter archives, performing complex content deletion operations. It is the go-to for users intent on cleaning their Twitter profiles. Start filtering and cleaning your Twitter timeline today!