Elon Musk has shared slides from an all-company meeting showing that new Twitter sign-ups, active user minutes and engagement are at an all-time high. However, the popular social media platform has been mired in controversy since Musk took over as the new owner, with Twitter closing its offices for a few days, ongoing issues with the blue check verification system and the contentious reinstatement of banned accounts.
According to the slides posted by Musk in a tweet, An average of more than two million users are signing up on the platform daily, a 66 percent increase from the same period in 2021. New sign-ups aren't the only metric that has spiked, with active user minutes seeing a similar upward trend to an average of more than eight billion user active minutes per day over a week-long period as of Nov. 16. This growth is impressive in the face of users threatening to leave the platform, with many Twitter users flocking to platforms like Mastadon and Hive Social.
'Twitter 2.0' To Bring A Slew Of New Features
The slides also include information about new features coming to 'Twitter 2.0' like more engaging advertising, high-quality video, long-form tweets, encrypted Direct Messages and a revamped Blue Verified. The updated verification system, expected to roll out on Dec. 2, will feature three checkmarks — gold for companies and gray for government entities, while the original blue check returns for individuals. However, simply paying for Twitter Blue won't be enough to get the blue check. Musk says that accounts will undergo a manual authentication process before the check activates to reduce impersonations and fake accounts.
End-to-end encryption for DMs is the more intriguing of the new additions and a long-awaited feature that is essential to keep direct messages private and secure. Twitter attempted encrypted messages called Secret Conversations in 2018, but it didn't go beyond the prototype phase before being abandoned. End-to-end encryption is a must-have feature if Musk plans to follow up on his plans to make Twitter DMs a full-fledged messaging service with voice and video-calling like WhatsApp and Signal. Long-form tweets will help people avoid sharing screenshots of notes apps, and high-quality video is the first step in Musk's vision to make Twitter a TikTok, Twitch and YouTube competitor.
However, high user engagement and new sign-ups may not be enough to guarantee the social media company's future. The list of advertisers leaving Twitter continues to grow, with controversial decisions like reinstating Donald Trump's account after a Twitter poll and allowing other banned accounts back on the platform not helping. Musk remains optimistic, though, mentioning in a follow-up tweet that he sees "Twitter exceeding a billion monthly users in 12 to 18 months."