Twitter's VIP list: How some users get preferential treatment

Does Twitter treat everyone equally? Twitter CEO Elon Musk once said celebrities should not be treated any differently than others on Twitter. But it now seems that the "Chief Twit" was not being entirely truthful when he said that. According to Platformer's Zoe Schiffer, the microblogging platform has a list of special users who get preferential treatment.

Let's look at how Twitter does it.

Musk has been vocal about how Twitter's previous administration gave special treatment to some users. The CEO once referred to Twitter's old verification system as a system of "lords and peasants." He even promised a Twitter where every voice would have equal opportunity to be heard. However, the new revelation suggests preferential treatment to some is part of the business.

As per Schiffer, Twitter's special list of celebrities is nothing new. The platform has been maintaining such a list for months. The names on the list reportedly received increased visibility. If you're wondering how they got a boost, it is simple. Their accounts were constantly monitored by Twitter's engineers, who boosted the tweets of those on the lists based on the tweet's performance.

Musk's Twitter is no stranger to boosting certain tweets. The CEO once called an emergency meeting of Twitter staff to ensure his tweets receive the maximum engagement. Twitter's engineers apparently created a special system to boost Musk's impressions. The new list was also created at Musk's behest. Engineers tweaked Twitter's code whenever tweets from accounts on the VIP list dropped in ranking.

The existence of a VIP list debunks Musk's earlier claims about Twitter being the same for all. This also nullifies his attempts to take on Twitter's decentralized rivals. Meanwhile, the CEO plans to release a snippet of the platform's source code that would reveal how it recommends tweets. But if there is a secret list whose tweets are boosted, what is even the point?

According to Platformer, the said VIP list has 35 members alongside Musk. Some of the names on the list include NBA superstar Lebron James, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, US President Joe Biden, and Democratic Party representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among others.