Twitter users who don’t sign up for Twitter Blue will have to wave goodbye to their blue checkmarks as of April 1.
Anybody who subscribes to Twitter Blue will now get a blue “check” icon next to their profile thanks to recent adjustments made by the company’s Leader, Elon Musk. Yet, it wasn’t always that that.
The checkmarks on Twitter were created with the intention of confirming the legitimacy of well-known accounts. The names of numerous prominent actors, politicians, journalists, activists, and organisations are marked with “Blue Checks.”
According to Amanda Silberling, a senior culture reporter at TechCrunch, “This is a person that the powers that be at Twitter deemed is essential in some way.”
In addition to reducing fraudulent accounts, Silberling told ABC Radio that the checks were implemented to give the site more credibility.
Silberling stated, “I suppose in some ways it is a status symbol. “I was overjoyed to receive my blue check… I feel happy that people are taking notice of what I’m doing as a journalist.
Since Twitter Blue was updated last year, all users who pay a monthly subscription price automatically receive a check mark, regardless of how relevant their accounts are. New Twitter Blue subscribers have had verified status alongside “vintage” blue check accounts for several months.
But, the business announced that starting in April, any current blue check accounts that don’t sign up for Twitter Blue will have to pay up – or lose the check.
According to Twitter’s help website, “We’ll start phasing down our legacy verification programme on April 1, 2023.” It continues by outlining how consumers can obtain a blue check. For instance, accounts must be older than 30 days. Also, they “may not use a fake identity in a manner that interferes with the experience of others on Twitter, nor may they mimic individuals, groups, or organisations in order to mislead, confuse, or deceive others.”
According to Musk, the goal of charging for verification is to reduce the number of “bots,” or automated spam accounts. The only social media that matters, according to Musk, will be those with purchased accounts, he stated in a recent tweet.
Twitter has also introduced more grey and gold checkmarks that are used to confirm official and commercial accounts. For instance, the official White House Twitter account is currently showing a grey checkmark. In the meanwhile, ABC News has a gold check.
However, Silberling contends that connecting blue checks to payment still leaves room for spoofing and false information on the network.
According to her, “the blue check is basically just going to lose its relevance,” and users are now more accountable for evaluating which identities on the platform are legitimate.
According to Silberling, it is always a good idea for social media users to be conscious of what they are reading and whether it is accurate. But, one of the duties of social media platforms is to make it harder for false information to spread, and I don’t believe that Twitter is currently doing a great job of that.
