Twitter is eyeing a change to multiple subscription models, including payments for exclusive content, which could unleash a potential domino effect on social media as we know it.

Social media companies like Facebook have been under fire these past few months for the amount of misinformation circulating on their websites. The main source of revenue for these social media companies is through advertisements, which sometimes can carry misleading or false messages. This idea of moving to a subscription-based model could help combat false advertising because companies would no longer be reliant on ad reve.

Although most companies think a “free for everyone” model ends up getting them more profit in the long run, Twitter has started to think differently. Since early February, two main ideas for subscription models have risen. The first one, as reported by Bloomberg, would require users to pay for exclusive content from some of the accounts they follow.

For example, celebrities like Kanye West could post something that only paying subscribers would be able to see. The second model would be more technical, allowing subscribers to access advanced features like running multiple accounts, being able to edit and unsend messages, add different colors, etc. 

The benefits of these models could include the eventual drowning out of advertisements in everyone’s Twitter feed. However, we are still at least a year away, with Twitter high-ups assuring users that no drastic changes will take place in 2021.