Twitter just added a new metric that allows everyone to see how many people have viewed a certain post. View Count is the name of the new measurement and it has been the latest effort by the social media platform’s new owner – Elon Musk – to show that Twitter is not as dead as some say it is.
Musk announced the launch of View Count yesterday in a tweet. He emphasized the rationale behind its incorporation by stating that most people do not like or reply to tweets but that does not necessarily mean that the tweets are not getting attention.
The head of Tesla (TSLA) and current CEO of Twitter has been introducing several changes to the platform since he took the reins including the revamp of Twitter Blue – the platform’s subscription package that is considered by Musk the should-be source of revenue for the business.
Musk further commented that tweets tend to be read “100 times more than they are liked”. This sets Twitter apart from its competing platforms – i.e. Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram – where users tend to engage more with the content they view.
At a point when advertising revenues are suffering due to Musk’s controversial actions and comments, getting more people to engage with the platform may be a way to entice them to subscribe.
How Can View Count Be Used by Users on Twitter?
Before View Count, it was already possible for users to see some detailed analytics about their tweets such as how many people clicked on URLs or viewed any media (photos or videos) they shared.
Now, the whole community can see the reach of each post. The metric may be used as a tool to determine a tweet’s “virality” and to better understand the user’s circle of influence, meaning the number of individuals who typically get exposure to what they say.
Moreover, View Count can also be a good way to determine if someone is being shadow banned. This is a practice that some social media platforms enforce that limits the visibility of a user’s tweets without them being aware of it.
The launch of View Count could be an effort from Musk to make the platform a more transparent environment as people can easily identify if a shadow ban is taking place and take action if it happens.
Earlier this month, Musk said that Twitter is working on a system that will notify users if they have been shadow-banned and why. Those who are affected will reportedly have the chance to appeal the platform’s decision.
Musk Appears to be Changing the Platform’s Practices from the Dorsey-Agrawal Era
The publication of the so-called Twitter Files has revealed how the company had apparent biases and practices that seemingly go against free speech including limiting the visibility of posts coming from certain politicians, primarily from right-wing parties and supporting organizations.
Some of the most controversial dealings revealed on the files discuss limitations imposed on tweets regarding the laptop incident involving Presidents Joe Biden’s son – Hunter Biden – and the treatment of content related to the assault on the US Capitol of 6 January.
Since Musk took over, he fired thousands of employees including software engineers and content moderators while a group of top executives either left the company or were ousted including the head of Twitter’s ML Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability, Rumman Chowdhury.
The founder of SpaceX also eliminated the Human Rights and Content Curation teams. It is not entirely clear if Musk’s intentions with these teams were to start with a clean slate and an entirely new group or if it was just collateral damage from his decision to trim the firm’s overhead.
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