Maybe it’s the daily news analysis you offer your followers. Maybe it’s the makeup tips you take the time to create and tweet. Maybe it’s a cry for help when you’ve fallen on hard times or want to support a charity.
Followers can now click on the icon and see links to any payment services the account holder has added and go directly to those sites to complete the tip.
Tipping online creators has gained significant steam in recent years as people rely on streams on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok and other sites as a primary form of communication. Some sites, such as Twitch, have tipping features built in, while others rely on creators to “remove their Cash apps” in the bios. It’s become common to see people add their Venmo handles or their Ko-fi accounts to their social media profiles so fans can thank them with money.
But officially supporting tipping is one more way for social media sites to attract entertaining and informative creators and keep them coming back. And Twitter, which essentially provides an easy-to-find link box for tips, isn’t getting a fraction of the money thrown into the virtual jar.
People are also more comfortable turning to strangers online for help. Online crowdfunding for basic expenses has increased during the pandemic.
And it’s a time when creators have some degree of choice in what social media platform they decide to use, and when startups like audio-chat app Clubhouse and subscription newsletter site Substack are attracting creative users.
There are entire career fields based on tweeting strategy and social media communications, says Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor at Cornell University who studies the intersection of media, culture and technology. And some jobs that rely in part on Twitter, including jobs in the media and creative fields, have long been considered insecure.
“In recent years and especially against the backdrop of the pandemic, uncertainty has intensified,” she said. “For those individuals who use it tangentially or essentially to work, it is a form of work. There is time, energy, insight, thought put into it.”
Tip jars started appearing on accounts shortly after Twitter announced the feature on Thursday. Skincare influencer Hajar Mohammad activated her “tip” account. and joked: “If you ever thought I looked good, you should tip me. I’m sorry I don’t make the rules.”
“As a skincare creator, many of my followers have expressed interest in tipping me for my skincare tips and advice,” Mohammad said in an email. “Although I don’t expect this, I think it makes for an easy gift for the knowledge I share!”
Freelance journalist Yashar Ali, known for sharing news analysis on Twitter, also activated his tip jar on Thursday.
“A lot of work goes into my feed, so if you want to support my work or just say thanks, you can now click on the icon circled in red to tip me.” he tweeted.
The show has not been without its hiccups. Cybersecurity expert Rachel Tobac pointed out online that if a user chooses to tip through PayPal, the recipient will receive the sender’s address. Twitter product manager Kayvon Beykpour, he answered quickly that the discovered address was on PayPal’s side, but that Twitter “will add a warning to people giving tips through Paypal so they’re aware of that.”
PayPal spokesman Justin Higgs said PayPal has two options when people send money: a “goods and services” option, which includes a shipping address, and a “friends and family” option. Users can select “friends and family” to avoid sending their addresses, although the selection of goods and services has increased buyer and seller protection.
Duffy also cautioned that the social media economy is one-sided and can reflect existing social inequalities, which can affect who gets tipped and who doesn’t.
Currently, only select users can enable the tip-jar icon, which appears next to the “follow” button in mobile apps. Twitter enabled the feature for some creators, journalists, pundits and nonprofits, the company said last week.
Then again, some are suggesting that the tip jar can be used in the opposite way it’s intended: to tip people not to share their thoughts. Several people tweeted a sign that read: “Buy my silence. Permanently. $8000 per month. For $8,000 a month, I’ll stop.”
