X Overhauls Monetization Program to Eliminate Spam and 'Impression Zombies'

Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has announced a major overhaul of its monetization system, revealing that its current Creator Revenue Sharing Program will end on September 7, followed by the launch of the new Original Content Rewards Program on September 8.

Under the new system, posts designed solely to farm view counts (impressions), aggregated posts that simply copy or re-upload content from others, and automatically generated AI posts will no longer be eligible for monetization. Instead, financial rewards will be strictly limited to "original content" that incorporates the poster's own unique perspective or analysis.

The announcement has been met with widespread praise from users on the platform, who express high hopes for a drastic reduction in "impression zombies"—accounts that flood timelines and reply sections with stolen or low-effort content purely to generate revenue. The change is viewed favorably as a key step toward cleaning up the platform, particularly by reducing spam and the spread of misinformation during natural disasters. However, the sudden policy shift has also left some creators re-evaluating their strategies and others feeling confused, with many closely watching the impact of the transition in September.

The context

In Japan, accounts that spam popular threads and emergency hashtags to earn ad revenue are infamously referred to as "impression zombies" (imp-zombies). The issue became a major national concern during recent earthquakes and severe weather events, as these automated or copycat accounts flooded X with fake news, reposted updates, and nonsensical replies, severely hindering the flow of crucial safety and rescue information. Given that Japan is one of X's largest markets, public outcry against impression farming was especially intense, making this monetization overhaul a highly anticipated update among Japanese users.

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