In a tweet on Monday, May 8th, Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, announced that the social media platform would be removing inactive accounts that have been dormant for several years.
Musk stated that users should log in at least once every 30 days to avoid permanent removal due to prolonged inactivity.
He also warned that users may see a drop in their follower count as a result of disabling inactive accounts.
Since taking over as CEO, Musk has implemented several changes to the platform, including making account verification a part of Twitter’s Blue subscription. This move is aimed at tackling the issue of bot accounts on the social media platform.
Musk has also been vocal about his desire to improve the platform’s content moderation policies.
Earlier this month, Musk “threatened” to reassign National Public Radio’s Twitter account to another company after the public broadcaster stopped posting content to its 52 official Twitter feeds in protest against a Twitter label that implied government involvement in its editorial content.
Additionally, last month, Twitter removed the legacy verified blue tick from the profile of thousands of people, including celebrities, journalists, and prominent politicians.
Musk’s announcement regarding the removal of inactive accounts has generated mixed reactions from Twitter users.
Some have expressed concern about losing their followers, while others have applauded the move, saying it will help clean up the platform.
One user tweeted;
“I understand the need to clean up inactive accounts, but I’m worried about losing my followers. It took me a long time to build up my following, and I don’t want to lose them.”
Another user wrote;
“This is a good move by Twitter. It’s about time they cleaned up the platform and got rid of all the inactive accounts. This will make it easier for people to find active users and engage in real conversations.”
Some users have also expressed their frustration with Twitter’s recent changes, including the removal of the legacy verified blue tick from thousands of profiles.
One user tweeted, “Twitter keeps making changes, and it’s getting frustrating. First, they remove the verified blue tick, and now they’re removing inactive accounts. What’s next?”
See below;
We’re purging accounts that have had no activity at all for several years, so you will probably see follower count drop
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 8, 2023