Let's face it, Twitter is not a free app anymore – Mashable

Pay up, or we’re taking away more features. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images You’ve likely heard of the carrot and stick routine. When you need to coerce people into doing something, shower them with gifts (carrots) on one end, and beat them with a stick (punish them for unwanted behavior) on the other. Elon Musk is certainly familiar with this method; ever since he took over Twitter, he’s tried all he could to get users to switch to the $8 per month Twitter Blue subscription tier. He’s offered all sorts of carrots to subscribers, including the ability to edit tweets, post longer tweets and videos, and proudly wear the blue checkmark on their profiles. On the stick end of the bargain, Musk’s Twitter has been taking away things from those who don’t pay. The blue checkmark used to be a way to tell which accounts were verified and real; now it’s a way to tell who’s paid to use the platform. In March, non-subscribers lost one means of two-factor authentication, an important security feature. Perhaps most importantly, verified (paid) accounts are prioritized in conversations and search, making it a lot harder for free accounts to get visibility on the platform. One feature
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