Today, tech-entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced plans to purge 1.5 billion inactive Twitter accounts. The move is definite to have a profound impact on the social-media giant and the users who have made it their digital home.
Twitter is currently undergoing what is being called a “purge” by Musk. According to reports, approximately 1.5 billion inactive accounts will be deleted in the coming weeks, which represents a sizeable amount of the platform’s total user base. According to reports, the accounts to be deleted will be those that have been inactive for more than three months and those that have been set up with the express purpose of spamming or creating fake news.
The move by Musk is sure to have an impact on the way Twitter is used, both for individuals and for companies. With 1.5 billion accounts gone, it could take a while for the account numbers to go back up, and it’s likely that those who remain active on the platform will be affected in some way. For companies, it could mean a necessity to update strategies and tweak campaigns more frequently to ensure their message is seen by a potentially reduced customer base.
In addition, the removal of inactive accounts also raises the question of how far Twitter can be trusted in terms of the accuracy of its statistics. Some users have already queried whether this purge is an attempt to “artificially inflate” its follower numbers.
Though there has been no official comment from the company on the matter, it certainly seems that the purge is intended to encourage a healthier, more active user base on the platform. It also means that YouTube has declared its own war on fake news and its associated accounts.
So, as the dust settles and the purge is complete, one thing is undoubtedly clear: the world of Twitter is sure to look very different than it did before the 1.5 billion accounts were purged. And, it may be some time before we know just what the overall effects of this massive cull will be.
Hey Subscribe to our newsletter for more articles like this directly to your email.