Shubham Sawarkar
Twitter‘s famous “verified” blue checkmark is an icon of social media status, indicating that a user is a notable public figure or celebrity. However, the platform has recently introduced a new program called Twitter Blue, which offers a range of premium features for a monthly subscription fee of $8 (or $11 for iOS app). This has led to concerns that the “legacy” verified accounts – those who were verified before the introduction of Twitter Blue – will lose their status unless they subscribe to the program.
Initially, the deadline for legacy verified users to either subscribe to Twitter Blue or risk losing their blue checkmark was set for April 1st. However, there has been little indication that much has changed since that date. Nevertheless, the controversy surrounding this issue has not gone away, and Elon Musk has recently weighed in with his own announcement.
Musk, who has a large following on Twitter and is known for his frequent and often controversial tweets, has stated that the “final” date for removing legacy checkmarks will be April 20th – which happens to be a notable date in the cannabis culture. Musk’s tweet about the matter has sparked both humor and concern among Twitter users, as it remains to be seen whether this will actually happen.
However, this is not the first time that Musk has made promises about Twitter that have not been fulfilled. He previously announced that the platform would offer ad revenue splits for creators, but this feature never materialized. Additionally, he stated that Twitter was done with layoffs before the company proceeded with more rounds of layoffs. Therefore, some users are understandably skeptical about Musk’s latest announcement.
The issue of Twitter Blue and legacy verification has highlighted the increasing commercialization of social media platforms. Twitter is not the only platform to offer premium features for a fee, as other social media giants such as Facebook and Instagram also offer a similar program called “Meta Verified.” However, the concern is that this will create a two-tiered system, where those who can afford to pay for premium features will have an advantage over those who cannot.
Furthermore, the issue of legacy verification raises questions about the value of social media status symbols. The blue checkmark has long been a coveted symbol of social media success, but the introduction of Twitter Blue and the potential loss of the blue checkmark for legacy users has called into question its true worth. Is it simply a symbol of status, or does it actually confer any meaningful benefits?
