Twitter has removed the blue checkmarks from almost all users who had been verified under the previous system, which was used under the former administration to verify journalists, celebrities, and politicians who had proved their identity. The company’s owner, Elon Musk, however, personally paid subscription costs for several high-profile celebrities.[0] On Thursday, Twitter took action on its previous announcement that blue legacy checkmarks would be removed from accounts of non-paying users, which are owned by Elon Musk’s company. The move is part of Elon Musk’s broad overhaul of Twitter.[1] To get a verified checkmark, you need to subscribe to Twitter Blue, which costs either $84 annually or $8 monthly. For $8 per month, users can subscribe to Twitter Blue and get enhanced visibility on the platform.[2] People who have lost their previously desirable blue checkmark are now being teased and ridiculed by those who did not have it.[3]
Several celebrities took to Twitter to explain they had retained their checkmark without paying, including the author Stephen King who tweeted: “My Twitter account says I’ve subscribed to Twitter Blue.[4] I haven’t.[5] My Twitter account says I’ve given a phone number.[6] I haven’t.[5]” The costs of keeping the marks range from $8 a month for individual web users to a starting price of $1,000 monthly to verify an organization, plus $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account. In contrast to the previous blue check system that was implemented before the Musk administration, Twitter no longer authenticates individual accounts.[7] Starting now, the blue checkmark badge on Twitter usernames will only be available to users who subscribe for $8 per month (or $11 per month on mobile devices). Consequently, the original purpose of the check mark as a means to indicate the authenticity of an account will no longer be fulfilled.[8]
Accounts that refused to pay £8 per month for a new subscription on the social network were warned by Elon Musk that their blue check mark would be taken away. The blue checks even disappeared from the accounts of some of the most well-known and widely followed people on the social network, including Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Bill Gates, Pope Francis, former president Donald Trump, and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. According to CNN, the blue checks even disappeared from the accounts of some of the most well-known and widely followed people on the social network, including Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Bill Gates, Pope Francis, former president Donald Trump, and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.
Twitter first introduced the blue checkmark system in 2009 to help users identify that celebrities, politicians, companies and brands, news organizations, and other accounts “of public interest” were genuine and not impostors or parody accounts.[9] Over time, who was granted verification became an increasing source of conflict and envy.[10] The term “blue checks” became internet slang for a class of elites.[10] The Twitter program was suspended for four years to assess modifications, and in 2021 it was resumed nearly unchanged.[10]
0. “With Twitter’s legacy blue checks gone, here’s how to see if celebrities and other users are real” The Guardian, 21 Apr. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/apr/21/with-twitters-legacy-blue-checks-gone-heres-how-to-see-if-celebrities-and-other-users-are-real
1. “Twitter removes legacy blue checks causing Trump, Clinton, The Rock, and others to lose their verification” Fox News, 21 Apr. 2023, https://www.foxnews.com/media/twitter-removes-legacy-blue-checks-trump-clinton-rock-others-lose-verification
2. “‘This is bulls***’: MMA pros react to Twitter’s mass removal of blue check marks” MMA Fighting, 20 Apr. 2023, https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/4/20/23691787/this-is-bulls-mma-pros-react-to-twitters-mass-removal-of-blue-check-marks
3. ““Take That Pope Francis”: Twitter’s Blue Check Purge Begins” The New Republic, 20 Apr. 2023, https://newrepublic.com/post/172085/twitter-reactions-blue-check-purge-begins
4. “Elon’s Blue-Check Rapture Is a Total Shitshow” Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2023, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/twitter-legacy-blue-check-disappear-elon-musk-1234720587/
5. “Twitter Officially Revokes Legacy Verified Checkmarks” IGN, 20 Apr. 2023, https://www.ign.com/articles/twitter-officially-revokes-legacy-verified-checkmarks
6. “Twitter starts removing blue tick mark from non-paying users” Al Jazeera English, 21 Apr. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/4/21/twitter-starts-removing-blue-tick-mark-from-non-paying-users
7. “Kohli, Tendulkar, Rohit, Dhoni lose their Twitter ‘blue tick’; Here’s why” Hindustan Times, 21 Apr. 2023, https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/why-kohli-tendulkar-rohit-ms-dhoni-and-other-indian-cricketers-lost-their-twitter-blue-tick-overnight-explained-101682044819000.html
8. “Rihanna, Taylor Swift among the few celebrities paying Twitter to keep their blue checkmarks” Mashable, 20 Apr. 2023, https://mashable.com/article/twitter-blue-celebrity-subscribers
9. “Shah Rukh, Amitabh, Yogi, Rahul, Virat Kohli lose blue tick on Twitter” Rediff.com, 21 Apr. 2023, https://www.rediff.com/news/report/shah-rukh-amitabh-yogi-rahul-virat-kohli-lose-bule-tick-on-twitter/20230421.htm
10. “Twitter’s legacy check mark removal hits celebrities, reporters and even the pope” NBC News, 20 Apr. 2023, https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/twitter-blue-checks-legacy-verification-removed-rcna80539