Twitter’s API changes target mass blocks and could mean more harassment

Elon Musk’s announced changes to the free Twitter API have put thousands of accounts under threat, including automated accounts dispensing weather updates, tracking news headline changes, and generating descriptive text for images. On Feb. 9, Twitter’s API will no longer be available for free, with a “paid basic tier” available instead, according to the Twitter developer account. If it goes through, this change will have a big impact — probably bigger than many Twitter users realize.

This announcement caused panic among Twitter users who use API tools to remain safe. According to The Verge Twitter charges only for access to premium API tiers. This includes utilities for mass-blocking, like the popular Twitter Block Chain Chrome extension, which aims to reduce dogpiling and harassment by allowing a user to block all followers of another user — such as every user who liked a transphobic tweet from J.K. Rowling, or, on a smaller scale, everyone who follows a user you dislike.

Naomi Wu is a DIY YouTuber based in China who has been subject to harassment online.

A lot of fan accounts were also concerned that block tools might not work. Due to the sheer volume, coordination and frequency of attacks, harassment between and among Twitter fan accounts can prove debilitating. Whether it’s fans of rival factions feuding with each other or fans launching coordinated campaigns at outsiders, breaking tools that utilize Twitter’s API will have a negative effect on the ability for fans to feel comfortable using the platform.

In addition to anxieties about the loss of useful tools to preserve user safety on Twitter, the loss of free access to Twitter’s API will deal heavy damage to the population of bots on Twitter. Musk is known for his obsession with spam bots and it’s likely that the API changes he made are intended to combat this menace. Musk went on a bot-abolishment rampage in December. He specifically targeted the @ElonJet Twitter account which was tracking the position of his private aircraft. The API changes last month have already closed down all third-party Twitter accounts, including the well-known Tweetbot.

But a vocal proportion of the people upset with the proposed change to the API, which would require all accounts to pay to access the Twitter API above a certain number of requests, are members of “Fan Twitter.” For them, interaction with media-themed accounts run through the API is a daily source of pleasure.

Daily Vocaloid. Folklore Bot. Every Breaking Bad Frame In Order, FFXIV Quotes BotThese accounts, along with thousands of other fan-run or fan-appreciated automated ones are at serious risk. And their followers’ anxieties persisted even as Musk made a vague statement, on Sunday, that he would be “responding to feedback” by releasing a free write-only version of the Twitter API for accounts providing “good” content to use. How “good” will be judged is still opaque.

The anticipatory phase of grief is where fans are already feeling sad for their beloved characters.

Many of these bots are powered by V Buckenham’s Cheap Bots, Done Quick software, which has an incredibly easy-to-use interface that allows anyone to fill a bot’s library with content and set it to post regularly as well as respond to mentions. I’ve used CBDQ to create numerous bots for my fandoms, and have found it a pleasant and fulfilling experience (my favorite one was a bot that mimicked the horoscope app Co–Star’s push notifications, but changed all the captions to be quotes from my favorite show). Buckenham stated in a recent interview that they wouldn’t want to spend their own money keeping the service up if the API starts to cost money.

However, some accounts that seem to be automated are, in fact, not actually bots — like Hourly DeancasDestiel-themed, this account posts Dean/Cas videos from Supernatural on an hourly basis, is actually manually run (though scheduled ahead of time) by the account’s owner. You can find the following: Rei Ayanami Daily account likewise clarified, “I do not have to worry about the Twitter API change because I am not a bot. I always manual posted because I have brain problems.”

Bot accounts are a vital part of Twitter’s ecosystem. They play an important part in fandom communities. It doesn’t matter if they are automated or manually managed, bot accounts can post screencaps, quotes and lyrics. This is a sign of what one of the most important characteristics of fandom, the repetition of encounters. The repeated encounter with the fandom object is what fans enjoy. Rewatching, yes, but also participatory acts like writing fanfiction and drawing fan art are ways to extend the encounter with the beloved canon — or as fandom scholar Daniel Cavicchi puts it in a 2014 scholarly article, ways to remain within “the performance frame.” Each hourly bot post is like a dispenser of a jolt of free fandom joy, reminding fans of their “comfort characters,” and sparking discussion and enthusiasm in micro-bursts of content.

Twitter was always a difficult environment for fandom. The popularity of Twitter has undoubtedly increased the visibility and publicity of fan activities than was possible in closed digital fandom communities. Celebrities have encouraged parasocial relationships between fans and creators, which sometimes leads to noxious blowups such as the HannibalTwitter Wars between Bryan Fuller, showrunner, and different factions of followers. Twitter has been used by fans to renew shows, have heated debates on concert etiquette and run campaigns to increase the number of viewers or listeners of their favorite shows.

Since Elon Musk’s takeover has begun to have a palpable impact on the platform’s usability, fans have sought alternatives to Twitter. Many have moved to Mastodon where servers such as federatedfandom.net allow for small-scale fandom social media. Others have returned to Tumblr while still others made the scary leap to TikTok.

For fans that still use Twitter for their fandom and don’t plan to quit, the bot accounts are an important part of the user experience. They will lose what has been a steady and reliable source and joy. Bots provide images and quotes without fail, which is a big difference to fickle creators.

They have been able to make their bots break character and say goodbye to their users.

Users still don’t know what Musk’s interpretation of “good” content looks like, or which apps and accounts might be able to continue to access Twitter’s API for free. This arbitrary definition might exclude API-calling bots that respond to users’ queries in a more complicated way. It might also eliminate third-party mass blocking and reporting utilities that are essential for the safe operation of the platform.

Elon promises that other Elon-promised features will soon be available, including the bonkers 26,000-plus character limitTwitter could soon become unrecognizable. But if there’s one thing fandom can do, it’s adapt to new situations, doing whatever it takes to keep enjoying their favorite things.

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