The news: X, formerly known as Twitter, is charging $US1 a month for New Zealand and Philippines users to post on its platform in a high-stakes experiment designed to stop spam accounts and increase its ailing revenue.

Why it matters: No other established social media site has told its users they cannot post without paying. Posts are the lifeblood of social media. As more sites have come to be dominated by influencers and professional vloggers, most people have stopped posting. Elon Musk’s move will test whether they will not only keep posting, but pay for the privilege.