US-based microblogging and social media service Twitter will launch new products and features faster to refresh its business after years of stagnation with an aim to double its annual revenue in 2023, the company said.
“Why don’t we start with why folks don’t believe in us,” said Chief Executive Jack Dorsey at Twitter’s virtual investor day presentation. “It comes down to three critiques: we’re slow, we’re not innovative, and we’re not trusted.”
Super-follow
The social media network laid out plans including tipping and paid subscriptions to “super follow” some accounts. It also aims to attain at least $7.5 billion in annual revenue and 315 million users who see ads by the end of 2023.
The “super follow” feature, which lets users charge followers for access to exclusive content, will launch this year, a spokesman said. The site, typically used to broadcast short messages to a wide audience, is also working on building more ways for people to have conversations, it said.
This includes hosting live audio discussions using its ‘Spaces’ feature, which is being tested with about 1,000 users, and letting people share longer-form content using Revue, a newsletter publishing service Twitter acquired last month.
It is also considering allowing “communities” to be created for users with particular interests. Twitter’s head of consumer product, Kayvon Beykpour, said creators would be able to customize communities, including setting and enforcing “social norms” beyond Twitter’s rules.
Open internet
At the virtual event, Twitter’s policy chief Vijaya Gadde also reaffirmed the company’s support for an open internet. Mr. Dorsey said any changes to Section 230, a US law that shields online companies from liability over content posted by users, must be made carefully.
Internationally, Twitter faces challenges in India, a rapidly growing market with plansto require that social media companies erase certain content and coordinate with law enforcement. Twitter had a clash with the India government recently after it refused to delete content connected to farmers’ protests in the country.
