The microblogging platform Twitter is again facing a backlash for its new message policy. Recently, the Twitter Support account mentioned a new policy, which will filter DMs from users who you don't follow and who don't have a verified account. This policy went into effect on July 14, 2023.
Starting as soon as July 14th, we’re adding a new messages setting that should help reduce the number of spam messages in DMs. With the new setting enabled, messages from users who you follow will arrive in your primary inbox, and messages from verified users who you don’t follow…
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 13, 2023
Twitter has been continuously facing trouble since it introduced Twitter blue followed by a limit on the number of tweets that users can read per day.
DMs from these users will be sent to your "message requests" inbox, where you can choose to view them or delete them. If you choose to view a message request, you can then decide whether to accept or decline the message.
READ| What Is the New Tweet Reading Limit by Elon Musk?
The platform mentioned that this initiative was taken to reduce the amount of spam that users receive everyday. The company also says that the policy will not affect DMs from users who you do follow or who have a verified account.
Earlier, Twitter message setting had three options:
- Allow message requests from everyone: This setting allows anyone to send you a direct message (DM), regardless of whether you followed them or not, also known as "open DMs."
- Allow message requests only from people you follow: This setting only allows people you followed to send you DMs. It was also known as "closed DMs."
- Allow message requests only from verified users: This setting only allowed verified users to send you DMs. Verified users are accounts that have been authenticated by Twitter. This setting also allowed people you followed to send you DMs.
All of these options meant that the messages will directly land in your DMs but the new change by Twitter includes the following options:
- Allow message requests from verified users and people you follow only
- Allow message requests from people you follow only.
- Allow message requests from everyone
Twitter discreetly set everyone’s account to the first option which made them curious as to why they are not receiving essential notifications. Many people condemned this new feature and blamed Elon Musk’s vision to monetise the platform and earn more money.
Twitter's decision to move DMs from users you don't follow to the "message requests" inbox presses the users to buy a verified subscription so that they can easily communicate with everyone.
This move also tampers with the value of the verification badge, which was previously only available to accounts that met certain criteria, such as being a public figure or having a large following.
Verified accounts have a blue checkmark next to their username, which is meant to indicate that they are authentic and not imposters. However, the value of the verification badge has decreased in recent years as Twitter has made it easier for people to buy it.
How to Change the New Twitter DM Settings
Thankfully, the platform didn’t make this a forced feature on users just like its tweet reading limit. Users can change the way they want to receive the messages by following these steps:
- Log in to your Twitter account.
- Click on Settings and Support
- Scroll down and choose “Privacy and Safety”
- Tap on Direct Messages
- Select the option of “Allow messages from everyone”
In conclusion, this move has been met with mixed reactions. Some users have welcomed the change, arguing that it will help to reduce the amount of spam DMs that they receive. Others have criticised the move, arguing that it devalues the verification badge and that it only benefits those who can afford to pay for a subscription.
This new feature can be harmful to Twitter as its rival Meta has recently launched Threads.
READ| What Is Instagram Threads? Twitter Rival Set to Launch Soon
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