Twitter's 'Blue Tick' No Longer a Freebie, Musk Plans To Charge $20 a Month The blue tick is thus far a free verification badge that distinguishes genuine profiles of notable users (celebrities, athletes, news organisations, politicians, etc.) from parodies and fake accounts
By Soumya Duggal •
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They say you can't put a price on authenticity but it seems that Tesla chief Elon Musk is about to do just that. How much, you ask? $20 a month/$240 a year for the rather coveted 'blue tick' on your Twitter account.
"Whole verification process is being revamped right now," said one of Musk's latest tweets. According to a recent report in the Verge, Twitter will now charge users for the blue tick—a hitherto free verification badge that distinguishes genuine profiles of notable users (celebrities, athletes, news organisations, politicians, etc.) from parodies and fake accounts—by restricting it to those willing to spend $19.99 for access to Twitter Blue, a currently $4.99 subscription plan that offers features such as undo and edit as well as ad-free content.
Present blue tick holders will reportedly be given 90 days to subscribe to Blue, else they'll lose the check mark.
The expected move—latest in a slew of changes that Musk has been making post his $44 billion acquisition of the microblogging website, such as firing its top executives, dissolving the board and appointing himself as the CEO—might not have much financial impact on ordinary users. "Twitter will always be free for casual users, but maybe a slight cost for commercial/government users," Musk, currently the world's richest person, has previously said.
Still, those considering becoming a Twitter Blue member for INR 1,656 (i.e. $20) a month might do well to draw comparison with other popular monthly subscription plans: Netflix Basic for INR 199; Apple One for INR 195; Amazon Prime for INR 179; Youtube Premium for INR 139; LinkedIn Premium for around INR 1,500; Swiggy One for INR 75; etc.
Moreover, the possibility of paying to acquire verification badges, which are status symbols for many, is likely to have other ramifications, even contrary ones: while it may democratise the process of acquisition, which has drawn flak for its arbitrariness in the past, it may equally turn it into an elitist weapon to alienate those who simply don't have the money. Additionally, scammers and bot accounts might also see an easy opportunity to buy legitimacy. Naturally, the Twitter community appears divided on the matter, with some poking fun at it and others offering more serious stances.
The funniest reactions have poured in as a response to celebrated author Stephen King and Musk 'haggling' over the new cost of a blue tick.
CRED founder Kunal Shah expects a complete disruption of the status quo:
Blue tick on twitter is signifier of clout.
— Kunal Shah (@kunalb11) November 1, 2022
Those with clout will lose their clout if they appear to be paying for this vanity badge.
Those with no clout will buy and signal it and try to appear important.
End result : chaos. But maybe that's what the end goal is.
English journalist Martin Lewis has expressed concerns about scammer presence on Twitter
Having campaigned against PAID-FOR scam ads for years, I'm concerned at rumours Twitter will turn the verified #blueTick into a paid-for option.
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) October 31, 2022
Scammers, shysters, criminals are likely to be happy to pay for, and manipulate this, for a veneer of legitimacy.
