That is to say, Twitter is free if you don't mind seeing a few ads pop up on your timeline from time to time. A few years ago, Twitter started adding promoted tweets to everyone's timelines in order to generate some extra scratch for the site. So, in between your friend's tweets and some celebrity gossip, you might see a tweet from someone you don't follow with a little notation underneath letting you know this tweet is a paid advertisement. Nothing wrong with that at all.
"My friend, Jet Blue, is a good guy, but he seems to have an ulterior motive."
The practice has been going on for years, and nine times out of ten, I don't even realize I'm looking at one. Twitter's mission is to make the ads innocuous enough that they don't spam your timeline, auto-playing videos don't have sound by default, and they're only showing you stuff you might be interested in. It's one of the few ad platforms that you can ignore simply by moving your finger slightly. But let's say I actually do care about one of these ads, like a movie trailer or a product that is offering a deal I can take advantage of. Often times, especially with mobile, I've noticed it's not as easy as just watching the video.
Isn't "#AnimalsGoneWild" a tad redundant?
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