Despite strong criticism from verified users, Twitter has decided to reintroduce the blue verification ticks for certain high-profile accounts, including those belonging to members of the media, celebrities, and other public figures.
According to Twitter, blue ticks, which used to be a free symbol of authenticity and celebrity, must now be acquired by subscribers at a cost of $8 per month.
On Thursday, non-paying accounts that had a blue tick were deactivated, as owner Elon Musk adopted a policy termed “Twitter Blue” to generate fresh money. This strategy had been disclosed the previous year.
According to Travis Brown, a software developer based in Berlin who watches social media sites, just a small fraction of blue-checked people subscribed; less than 5% of the 407,000 profiles that were impacted by this issue.
On the other hand, a number of famous people, such as the novelist Stephen King, the champion of the National Basketball Association (NBA), LeBron James, and Donald Trump, who was a former president of the United States, regained their blue ticks on April 21, and April 22nd, 2023 presumably without their own participation.
A previous tweet from Musk stated that he was “paying for a few (subscriptions) personally.”
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The Impact on Celebrities
American rapper Lil Nas X, whose profile features the blue tick, reacted to this by tweeting, “On my soul, I didn’t pay for Twitter blue, u will feel my wrath, tesla man!”
A blue tick was also awarded to the accounts of certain departed celebrities, such as the well-known American chef Anthony Bourdain.
A great number of official media accounts, including AFP, which had not previously subscribed to Twitter Blue, have regained a tick.
After Elon Musk referred to the newspaper as “propaganda,” last month the New York Times was awarded its gold badge.
The New York Times is one of the main media institutions that have a gold tick that is designated for an “official business account”, paying at least $1,000 per month. This tick is only given to accounts that meet certain financial requirements.
The public radio stations NPR in the United States and CBC in Canada, both of which had recently halted activity on their Twitter accounts and had not resumed tweeting as of April 23rd, 2023, were unmoved by the reinstated ticks and chose not to use them.
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Importance of Twitter Verification
Verifications on social media are extremely sought after yet still difficult to obtain. Although it may look as though these marks appeared overnight for no apparent reason, in reality, this is not always the case.
It is possible for companies or individuals to be validated with no additional work required on occasion, but the vast majority of the time, they are required to submit an application in order to get the designation.
Verification on social media demonstrates that your company is serious about conducting business. Because of this, you will be able to distinguish yourself from other users and establish your credibility, which will allow you to earn the trust and support of other users quickly.
When you’re verified on a platform, not only will it be simpler to work along with other people who create material, but also your own stuff will be simpler to locate.
Because of this, in situations in which a corporation might be well-known and at a higher risk of being impersonated, social media platforms may merely offer them the verification without any effort being made on the part of the individual or the business.