Elon Musk’s Twitter plan for media publishers to charge users per article: pros and cons

On Saturday, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk announced on Twitter a plan for his social media platform to allow media publishers to charge users on a per-article basis with a single click.

According to Musk, this plan enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per-article price for when they want to read an occasional article, which should be a win-win situation for both media organisations and the public.

Musk's announcement about using a micro-payment approach has prompted questions about how he plans to make it successful.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of his plan.

Pros:

The per-article approach could provide an alternative revenue stream for media publishers who have struggled to make profits amid frequent controversies on social media platforms.

The per-article plan is also beneficial for users who do not want to sign up for monthly subscriptions but still want to read occasional articles.

Cons:

The per-article plan faces several objections. First, readers might simply click away when encountering a paywall.

Second, the per-article approach could encourage click-bait articles that may not be of value to readers.

Lastly, it is unclear whether authors, not just news groups, would see any profits from the sale of their articles.

A number of Twitter users reacted favorably to the announcement.

According to a tweet by a user on Twitter, a new platform is set to launch next month that will enable individuals to pay for specific articles they wish to read, allowing them to pay a premium for a single article instead of committing to a monthly subscription.