“ Super Follows “ thinks “ Super Clever “ ?

 

 

Context :

Twitter's new 'Super Follow' feature will ask users to pay for special content   / MINT

 

Extract :

In a move to diversify its revenue, microblogging site Twitter has said that it is planning to offer a subscription service, in which users will have to pay for special content from high-profile accounts, as part of an economic model.

"Exploring audience funding opportunities like Super Follows will allow creators and publishers to be directly supported by their audience and will incentivize them to continue creating content that their audience loves," a Twitter spokesperson told AFP.

Twitter said it was exploring new money-making features, including tipping and paid subscriptions to "super follow" some accounts.

The second feature, which lets users charge their followers for access to additional content, will launch this year, a spokesman said.

Super Follows was described during the presentation as a way for Twitter audiences to financially support creators and receive newsletters, exclusive content and even virtual badges in exchange.

Twitter, which currently makes money from ads and promoted posts, might be able to add additional revenue via the Super Follows transactions.

"We know we've been slow," Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said in an investor day presentation. "When you compare us with our peers, it's been especially stark."

Twitter, like Google and Facebook, makes most of its money from digital advertising.

The social media network estimated annual revenue of at least $7.5 billion by the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, Twitter is facing challenges in India, a rapidly growing market with plans to require that social media companies erase certain content and coordinate with law enforcement.

===================================================

MY TAKE :

 

Ø  On part of Twitter, this amounts to a Red Herring – a ploy to divert the attention of the Policy Makers and its Users from the main issue , viz :

             #    Twitter ( like all other Social Media ) is minting a ton of money

                    through targeted advts – based on User Personal Data, collected /

                    harnessed by it – without User permission. It also SELLS this data

                    

             #    Twitter itself is obliged to “ compensate “ its users, for using their

                   data to make money

Ø  Through proposed “ Super Flows “ feature, Twitter thinks it can fool its ( high-profile ) users in believing that it “ cares “ for their content , and provides them with a feature to “ monetize “ their content by asking their followers to “ pay “ for following / viewing their “ tweets “

Ø  Can you imagine a high profile Shri Narendra Modi / Amitabh Bachhan / Virat Kohli / Lata Mangeshkar etc., telling their millions of followers ,

“ You have to pay me Rs 1/-, every time you click notification to view / read, what I just tweeted “  ?

And witness their following drop from ( FREE ) 1 million to ( PAYING ) 10 thousand ?

Or, would they rather wish their follower number to grow from 1 million to 10 million , if that requires posting a tweet every 5 minutes – for all to read for FREE ?

Ø  In the meantime, Google has “ Succeeded ( ? ) “ in diverting the main issue ( of compensating its users for using / selling their PERSONAL DATA ) , from end-users to print News Papers. 

It has agreed to “ compensate “ the News Papers in Australia / EU etc.

Ø  After initially resisting Australian Govt., now even Facebook has “ realized ( ? ) “ that , in the long run, it would be much cheaper to pay the Australian news papers , rather than “ compensate “ millions of Australian citizen . And then figured :

“ Instead of paying $ 100 million / year, for 10 years,  to Australian news papers , why not invest $ 1,000 million upfront, right now, and become “ owners “ of those news papers ? Why not let right hand pay the left hand ?  “

Ø  Not seeing through this “ diversionary tactics “ ( or ignoring it deliberately, in self-interest ? ), now the Indian News Papers Society has demanded that , just like they did in Australia / EU etc., Google / Facebook must pay its member news-papers for their content displayed on Google / FB websites

I am sure, politicians / law-makers in countries around the world would soon raise similar demands

Simply because ,

#   Politicians / Law-makers want a pliable / favorable news media, or

#   They themselves OWN ( directly or indirectly ), news media ( including

     TV channels )

#   News media is well organized to “ make or break “ a government or a

     political party !

Ø  Ploy of Social Media seems to be succeeding . 

 

Ø  Millions of end-users of Social Media have no power to force their respective governments to fight for their right to get compensated by Social Media

===================================================

 

Dear Shri RaviShankar Prasadji,

 

You keep on saying rightly that the Social Media is welcome to do their business in India – as long it abides by the laws of this land

To this end, you have just released a set of GUIDE-LINES for OTT and all DIGITAL MEDIA

Social Media – and their advocates – are bound to cry “ FOUL “ !

Surely these guidelines can be modified as we gather experience of their working

I urge you, not to get misdirected by all this noise from the MAIN OBJECTIVE ie;

Introduction / implementation of :

  

       Digital Dividend from Demographic Data [ 4 D ]…………………..... [ 14 Feb 2019 ]

 

       SARAL ( Single  Authentic  Registration for Anywhere  Login )….[ 10 Feb 2019 ]

With regards,

 

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  27 Feb 2021

 

===================================================

My last E-Mail on this subject :

“ Pods ” ; Prescribed by ( Dr ) Tim Berners-Lee ………….[ 23 Jan 2021 ]