Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, after firing over half the Twitter staff, just announced a controversial change to a key part of Twitter's system. Twitter has recently confirmed the ability for users to buy the verified checkmark. The company stated that they would roll out the ability to buy the “blue tick” in certain countries to users who buy the Twitter Blue service.
The verified checkmark was initially introduced to combat fake information being spread on the platform now, the verification mark is a status symbol on all social media as it is given scarcely, to high-status symbols like celebrities and government officials. The checkmark was a sign of authenticity and could assure users that they were following the right accounts.
Elon Musk stated that he is allowing users to buy the tick mark to “bring power to the users”. Musk wants users to have the choice if they want to verify themselves. Along with the verification mark, users that buy Twitter Blue, will also see fewer ads, get priority on replies and mentions, and will be able to post longer videos.
The change has brought a lot of resistance from users as they fear the consequences of fake accounts. If users are allowed to buy the account at their discretion, what will happen to all the fake accounts — will they be allowed to verify themselves as if they were the celebrity? It also seems that the users that buy “Twitter Blue”, will not need to upload an ID to authenticate themselves. The rise of imposters on Twitter will surge if there is no infrastructure to prevent anyone from verifying. Furthermore, will Twitter stop giving people the check mark on their own? Being given “the tick mark”, is a sign that a creator/celebrity has made it, and paying for won’t achieve that same feeling — the ability to buy the mark diminishes its value. Lastly, on the internet, there are lots of people that impersonate celebrities asking for money; the verification mark helps solve that, as users would know if the person “dming” them is the celebrity.
However, the change can benefit the Twitter community. The verification mark is a status symbol and places celebrities on a pedestal. The verification mark is valued by regular Twitter users. With the ability to buy the tick, users will be able to be placed on the same pedestal as their favourite celebrities. The change devalues the celebrity status and brings the common man to the same tier. Also, the change does also bring practical value to users (mentioned above). Lastly, Twitter has not been profitable and the implementation of a paid service that some users want can help boost Twitter's bottom line. Twitter has nearly 450 million users and if 5% of the user base does buy Twitter Blue, Twitter’s revenue will increase by 2.16 billion dollars per year.
In conclusion, the change can bring good to the Twitter community. It removes inequality among users and can benefit creators. However, is Elon Musk really thinking about the cons? For Elon to truly bring “power to the user,” each social media platform would need to bring about the same change. What do you think — is the change a good one or should it be revisited?
