In a rare public statement, Twitter’s newly appointed CEO Linda Yaccarino addressed the widely criticized decision to impose temporary reading limits on its users. While many users have been frustrated with ongoing disruptions on the platform since Elon Musk’s acquisition, Yaccarino strongly backed the action, describing it as a “big move” and “meaningful”.
Yaccarino’s statement comes as Twitter is working to ensure the authenticity of its user base by removing spam and bots from the platform. She emphasized that the company is undertaking “extreme measures” to detect and eliminate bots and other bad actors that harm the platform. According to Twitter, the move to impose usage limits has already enabled engineers to detect and eliminate bots, which could have altered their behavior to evade detection if given advance notice.
The restrictions currently affect a “small percentage” of users, with verified accounts limited to reading 10,000 posts a day, unverified accounts limited to 1,000 a day, and new unverified accounts limited to 500 a day. The changes also require users to log in to view the web version of Twitter. While the initial reaction has been negative, Yaccarino’s statement suggests that these measures are necessary to address “extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation”.
Elon Musk (Via Elon Musk/Twitter)
Musk’s announcement at the weekend was met with widespread criticism, with many users frustrated by the ongoing disruptions and changes to the platform. The restrictions come at a sensitive time for Twitter, with Facebook owner Meta preparing to launch a rival app called Threads. As such, all eyes are on how many Twitter users will jump ship to the new app.
The changes are also a blow to Twitter’s user experience, with the company set to discontinue its web-based TweetDeck dashboard for all users starting from early August, except for those who subscribe to its premium service, Twitter Blue. This move has sparked further frustration among users, who are already reeling from the bot-related issues and changes to the platform.
Yaccarino’s statement attempted to assuage concerns, citing the need for Twitter to “slow down to speed up” in its quest to address the issues plaguing the platform. However, only time will tell whether these measures will pay off and improve the overall user experience. With Twitter facing increased competition and pressure to innovate, the company’s next moves will be closely watched by users and analysts alike.
