Twitter’s new “Chief Twit” Elon Musk is reportedly considering making verification a Twitter Blue feature, while simultaneously quadrupling the subscription service’s cost. This would essentially mean charging users a monthly $20 fee to keep their blue tick badge.
Predictably, many users have indicated they’d rather just be unverified.
The new Musk Era of Twitter kicked off last week, with swift firings and a spike in slurs indicating significant changes for the company. Platformer first reported on Sunday that Twitter may soon require users to have a paid subscription to Twitter Blue in order to retain their verified status. Twitter verification gives eligible accounts a little checkmark badge authenticating their identity to others, and currently only demands the psychic cost of being on the hellsite.
On top of this, The Verge reports that there are also plans to increase the price of a Twitter Blue subscription from its already elevated $4.99 monthly cost to a whopping $19.99 per month. That’s the same price as a premium Netflix subscription, but with markedly worse content.
Twitter’s proposed changes could allow those who aren’t verified to essentially purchase the coveted blue tick badge. Currently, Twitter only grants verified status to notable accounts from a “prominently recognized individual or brand.” If the change goes through, it’s probable that anyone who fulfils the other two criteria of being active on Twitter and confirming their identity will be able to get verified. This could potentially be useful in fighting disinformation and impersonation.
Unfortunately, the $19.99 per month blue tick fee takes a lot of shine off the appeal.
Once the Twitter’s new policy kicks in, users will have 90 days to subscribe or lose their blue tick. It’s currently unclear what will happen to verified users in countries where Twitter Blue is unavailable, i.e. any country that isn’t the US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. It’s also unclear whether Musk has actually thought this through.
Twitter Blue currently allows users to edit their tweets, upload videos in 1080p, and see what articles are being shared the most in their network. It also enables accounts to use an NFT as their profile picture, because if you’re paying for Twitter there is a non-zero chance you’re also into crypto. Even with the addition of verification, none of this seems worth shelling out for.
It is annoying that features such as the edit function aren’t simply included in Twitter’s default product, but at least it has always been a paid feature. Musk’s proposal to change Twitter’s verification system would lock a previously free feature behind paywall — a move that has never won anyone goodwill.
Reactions to Musk’s proposed change to Twitter’s verification system have been derisive, to say the least.
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In addition to the wild unpopularity of these changes, the way Musk has apparently gone about implementing them won’t win him many friends either. According to The Verge’s report, Twitter employees were reportedly told on Sunday they will be fired if the new Twitter Blue pricing and verification system aren’t implemented by Nov. 7, giving them less than 10 days to do so. Work-life balance at Twitter has probably taken a massive hit.
Musk seems to think his changes to Twitter Blue will help increase the company’s profits. Yet if Twitter does make verification a paid feature, it’s likely that many accounts will simply let their verified status expire with no remorse. Rather than fighting disinformation, the blue tick badge will just become a signpost indicating which suckers actually signed up to pay Twitter $19.99 per month.
Mashable has reached out to Twitter for comment.
