Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, said in a tweet on Monday, May 8th, that the social media platform would start eliminating inactive accounts that had been dormant for several years.
Musk noted that in order to avoid permanent removal due to lengthy inactivity, users need log in at least once every 30 days.
He also cautioned users that removing dormant accounts may result in a decrease in their follower count.
Musk has made various changes to the platform since taking over as CEO, including making account verification a part of Twitter’s Blue subscription.
This action is intended to address the issue of bot accounts on the social networking platform.
Musk has also expressed a desire to strengthen the platform’s content monitoring measures.
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?”
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