Time Is Up For Old-School Twitter Blue Check Marks

Twitter Inc.’s new owner, Elon Musk, HAS purged the social network’s free legacy labels as of April 1 and replacing them with a new designation that he says will make the platform more egalitarian and generate much-needed revenue, reports Bloomberg. 

But legions of users are balking at forking over the $8 a month fee, and some say the pay-to-play system, dubbed Twitter Blue, will make it easier for pranksters, hoaxers or criminals to pose as someone they’re not — potentially facilitating use of the site to spread misinformation and sow discord.

Opinions among Twitter users run the gamut on the value of the check mark, and whether it’s worth the $8 a month — discounted to $84 if you buy a whole year, but $11 per month if you buy it through the Apple or Google app store. Some users say they’ll refuse to subscribe to Twitter Blue because they don’t want to support Musk, the world’s second-richest person, or because they object to paying for the reach that they used to be able to earn on merit. Others are willing to pony up for the credibility and exposure that comes with verification.

Businesses likewise will have to choose whether to pay thousands of dollars for their accounts’ verification — under the new system, organizations will pay $1,000 per month for verification, with some exceptions, plus $50 for each employee that also gets a check — or face increased risk of imitation on the platform. 

The potential danger of declining to verify is that fake accounts with paid check marks could pose as any business, including financial firms or media organizations, and then perpetuate scams or spread misinformation. 

In November, when Musk opened up verification to paying users, Twitter accounts with check marks began impersonating companies such as Eli Lilly & Co., PepsiCo Inc., Nintendo Co. — and even Musk himself.   So far, fewer than 300,000 people have signed up, according to the Information.“It’s unlikely that most people who have legacy blue check marks will care enough to start paying for them,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg. “Revenues from Twitter Blue won’t make up for the ad revenue losses Twitter has incurred since Musk took over,” she said.

The selling of check marks also has the potential to minimize the voices of users who don’t subscribe. 

News organizations such as the New York Times, CNN and the Los Angeles Times have said that they generally don’t plan to pony up for Twitter verification or reimburse employees who pay to get the check, raising concerns about impersonation and misinformation under fake accounts. Max Collins, of the band Eve 6 and a BuzzFeed columnist, said he even started blocking accounts with paid blue check marks.

Many celebrity Twitter users were also outspoken on their feelings about the cost of verification.