Twitter will start charging USD 8 from users for the blue tick, new owner Elon Musk said in a series of tweets on 1 November. In other words, this means that anyone who intends to have their verified account marked by the instantly recognisable sign will have to pay Twitter to do so.
To date, the blue tick has been given to notable figures for free and is a sign of an account’s noteworthiness and genuineness.
What Musk said about Twitter blue tick
Offers special privileges
“Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” read a tweet by Musk, the world’s richest man who had initially announced his decision to buy Twitter in April.
“Price adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity,” he added in a follow-up tweet.
In another tweet, Musk said that those who subscribe to this will get “Priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam” and will also be able to post longer video and audio and “half as many ads.”
He also said that publishers who work with Twitter will get a paywall bypass. He added that like politicians, other public figures will also have a secondary tag below their names.
Currently personalities such as the US President and official Chinese government accounts have a secondary tag clearly reading what or who the account holder is.
According to Musk, the USD 8 per month for a blue tick will give Twitter the revenue to reward content creators on the platform.
Price adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
And paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
There will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
Concerns over charging for blue tick
There were initial reports that said that the blue tick could cost USD 20, which caused concern among many.
Renowned horror story writer Stephen King tweeted that he would leave “like Enron” if it is enforced.
Musk then responded saying, “We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?”
“It is the only way to defeat the bots & trolls,” he added.
We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
Critics say that the move might make it harder to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources.
The blue tick system was introduced in 2009. Getting it involved filling an online application form. It could be granted to celebrities, politicians, journalists and corporates — accounts that were most likely targets of impersonation.
Twitter has not posted a profit in years — one of the biggest challenges for Musk, according to reports.
Companies such as General Motors, a rival of Musk’s Tesla, has suspended its advertisement on the platform.
IPG, one of the world’s largest advertising companies, said on 31 October that it has advised its clients to suspend advertisements on Twitter for a week.
(Main image: Brendan Smialowski/AFP; Featured image: Alexander Shatov/@alexbemore/Unsplash)
Manas Sen Gupta
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
