Twitter CEO Elon Musk reveals six ways he plans to turn Twitter into an “everything app,” which includes longform tweets, encrypted DMs, user-to-user payments, and more.
In a series of slides prefaced with the title “Twitter 2.0,” Musk presented his plans at an internal meeting:
Slides from my Twitter company talk pic.twitter.com/8LLXrwylta
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2022
The slides reveal the following goals for the future of Twitter:
- Advertising as entertainment
- Video
- Longform tweets
- Encrypted DMs
- Longform tweets
- Relaunch Blue Verified
Musk published the slides on Twitter without further context, making it difficult to read too far into his plans for the company. However, we can glean some information based on the mock-up screenshots on each slide.
Advertising As Entertainment
Musk plans to make advertising on Twitter more entertaining, showing an example of an ad from HBO Max that reads like a Buzzfeed quiz.
Screenshot from: twitter.com/elonmusk, November 2022.The text reads:
“Are you Targaryan, Valeryon, or Hightower?
Like this tweet and I’ll analyze your profile so you know which house you belong to and what role you would have in the world of #LaCasaDelDragon.”
For context, the advertisement is for the show House of Dragons, a spin-off of Game of Thrones.
The ad copy reminds me of those Buzzfeed quizzes where you answer a series of questions to determine which character of a TV show you would be.
The virality of those quizzes leads me to believe Twitter’s direction for advertising could generate meaningful engagement.
Is this form of advertising likely to draw in new customers who aren’t familiar with the product already? Probably not, but it could be an effective way to raise brand awareness.
Video
Containing only a thumbnail and placeholder text, the above example doesn’t allow for much speculation about Musk’s plans for video on Twitter.
Screenshot from: twitter.com/elonmusk, November 2022.However, if Musk’s tweets are anything to go by, his plans could include bringing back the short-form video app Vine:
Bring back Vine?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022
Musk may also be planning to compete with YouTube, claiming he can offer higher payouts. Mr. Beast, YouTube’s most popular creator, is skeptical of that claim:
Bring back Vine?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2022
Longform Tweets
Screenshot from: twitter.com/elonmusk, November 2022.Musk includes a screenshot of Twitter’s Notes feature to illustrate his plans for longform tweets.
Twitter began testing Notes with a limited number of writers earlier this year.
✨ Introducing: Notes ✨
We’re testing a way to write longer on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/SnrS4Q6toX
— Twitter Write (@TwitterWrite) June 22, 2022
You can see this feature in action by visiting the @TwitterWrites account page and navigating to the Notes tab.
Encrypted DMs
Screenshot from: twitter.com/elonmusk, November 2022.This feature is self-explanatory.
Encrypted DMs are becoming an industry standard for social media sites. Meta introduced end-to-end encryption for its messaging tools in January, and now Twitter is following suit.
Reverse engineering expert Jane M. Wong recently uncovered evidence of Twitter’s encrypted DMs, which suggests the update may be ready to launch soon.
(New) Blue Verified
Screenshot from: twitter.com/elonmusk, November 2022.The upcoming relaunch of Blue Verified will include the following features:
- A blue ‘verified’ checkmark
- Priority placement at the top of replies, mentions, and search results
- See 50% fewer ads
- Upload longer videos
- Get early access to new features
The text at the bottom of Musk’s slide indicates the $7.99 per month pricing is a “limited time offer,” suggesting the price may increase in the future unless users lock in now.
Payments
Screenshot from: twitter.com/elonmusk, November 2022.Musk’s slide provides zero information regarding his plans for payments on Twitter. However, those plans were already shared earlier this month.
In a call with advertisers, Musk says he wants to turn Twitter into a digital marketplace where creators can set their own prices for content.
That will allow creators to sell instructional videos, for example, at a price they believe is fair.
To that end, Musk believes this type of payment system will open the door for users to send money directly to other users on Twitter.
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