Twitter's 'Super Follow' will allow users to charge their followers
What's the story
Twitter announced significant new features dealing with user monetization and community-focused content.
The company will allow users to charge their followers for content, in what seems to be a mix between Patreon and Substack, while also providing a Twitter alternative to Facebook's Groups feature.
The company detailed these features as a part of its presentation for analysts and investors without specifying any timelines.
Paradigm shift
Patreon-esque feature allows users to paywall media and subscriber perks
Twitter showcased a mock-up of the Super Follow feature to investors, with the illustration depicting a user charging $4.99 per month for subscriber-only perks such as exclusive content, subscriber-only newsletters, community access, deals and discounts, and supporter badges.
The upcoming feature will allow users to put their tweets and media behind a paywall, including audio content from its Clubhouse facsimile Twitter Spaces.
Aiming for versatility
Communities feature could emulate key features from Reddit and Discord
Twitter Communities was the second big feature announced, which is designed to compete with Facebook Groups. However, this could also be integrated with Super Follow by allowing paid subscribers to interact with one another, much like Discord's invite-restricted servers.
Communities could potentially be used to create digital enclaves focusing on specific niches, which also emulates the concept of subReddits on Reddit.
Coordinating unrest
Communities allow Twitter to do what Parler was accused of
The inherently political nature of Twitter should yield some interesting results with Communities. Both legal activists and illegal and terrorist entities have leveraged Facebook Groups as a potent means to coordinate their activities.
Big Tech had accused Parler of serving as a staging medium for the Capitol riots, but it was later uncovered that Facebook Groups were used for the purpose.
Significant departure
Super Follow breaks Twitter's commitment to keep the platform open
Super Follow represents a break in tradition for the microblogging site, which had traditionally shied away from monetization and otherwise disrupting the open nature of the platform.
Meanwhile, it's a serious threat to third-party services such as Patreon that solely exist to help creators secure follower funding. It also represents CEO Jack Dorsey's desire to keep the investors happy and the stock prices green.