Elon Musk is testing a pilot application on the X platform that requires new users to verify their accounts as corporate entities by making a payment, opting for X premium subscription, or paying a $1 fee to prove they are not bots. The trial began on October 17th and is currently applicable only to new users in New Zealand and the Philippines.
A Highly Talked About Step from the X Team
According to a post in X Help Center, the trial is called “Not A Bot” and as the name suggests, its purpose is to deter bot activities on the platform by requiring all users to verify their phone numbers and payment methods. The Help Center post included the following statement:
“As of October 17th, 2023, we have started testing a new subscription method called ‘Not A Bot’ for new users in two countries. This new trial was developed to support our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform, and bot activities.”
According to the article, verified accounts that have paid the $1 subscription fee will be able to use all features available on X. However, if the fee is not paid, the account will only allow reading posts, watching videos, and following X accounts.
How Do Social Media Bots Work?
According to numerous studies on social media bots, the term “bot” is inadequate for these accounts. A study revealed that it is never clear whether accounts exhibiting bot-like behaviors are actually bots or not.
Furthermore, with the recent advancements in artificial intelligence technology, bot behaviors have become a significant issue with various language model-focused programs. According to the X team, the subscription not only makes automating the registration fee difficult but also aims to deter organizations and individuals responsible for distributing them financially, depending on the language used by X, to keep bots away from the platform.
With the development of a payment system on X, the establishment of a shopping platform, and finally the request for $1 from new users, attention has turned back to Dogecoin. After significant changes on the platform, the inclusion of Dogecoin will ignite the rise of the largest meme token in the cryptocurrency market.
