Twitter Is Unveiling "Super Follow" Feature That Allows Users To Charge For Access To Their Additional Content

Twitter has a long and storied history of announcing new features that don't get the most positive initial responses, but their latest announced feature may be its most controversial yet.

Today, Twitter announced the "Super Follow" feature, which is a way in which a poster could charge others for access to additional Twitter content they create, such as "bonus tweets, access to a community group, subscription to a newsletter, or a badge indicating your support."

Twitter announces “Super Follow”, like Patreon but on Twitter https://t.co/5YBmEfgsUn pic.twitter.com/aY9g1ozoJz

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) February 25, 2021

The idea of paying for tweets immediately rubbed users the wrong way, as one of the unofficial axioms of Twitter is This website is free. Furthermore, it was difficult to imagine the type of person who would utilize such a feature and jokes about the type of person who believes their Twitter activity earns pay ran amok on the timeline.

Going to implement a reverse Twitter paywall. If you pay me, I will stop tweeting. https://t.co/jTSCmeatty

— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) February 25, 2021

my promise is that if you pay for my twitter account i will actively punish you for it

— found a new type of widening gyre (@Boringstein) February 25, 2021

my twitter will have pricing tiers:

$5: hide all political tweets
$10: hide all wrestling tweets
$25: hide all tweets

— Bill Hanstock (@sundownmotel) February 25, 2021

Still, not everyone was miffed at the idea. Some saw it as a potential good, particularly for creators who have put in the work to build massive followings.

Twitter “Super Follow” is a big deal. I’m literally buying Twitter stock right now, love this. pic.twitter.com/ocVpxPLrRy

— Fabrizio Rinaldi (@linuz90) February 25, 2021

NEW: Twitter announces it’s exploring tipping and “Super Follows” – where users can super follow accounts, paying them a subscription for exclusive content, like Patreon

Curious whether newsrooms will allow reporters to generate extra revenues for themselves in this way or not? pic.twitter.com/s1lsUBudi2

— Hannah Murphy (@MsHannahMurphy) February 25, 2021

This could also be a way for sex workers on Twitter to monetize content as they do on places like OnlyFans and Patreon —that is, if Twitter will allow it.

Okay so Sex Work friends. Is the Super Follow thing going to help yall out or are you planning on keeping to whatever infrastructure you have already put in place? My gut reaction is that twitter just sorta makes everything worse with its features but I might be totally wrong.

— Belghast ⚔️ Insufficient Mora 🛡️ (@belghast) February 25, 2021

i hope sex workers cake up off paid tweets

— Craig Bro Dude (@CraigSJ) February 25, 2021

There is currently no timetable on when Twitter will implement the feature.