Elon Musk turns Twitter's blue check into a badge of shame
The world of Twitter has been thrown into confusion once again as blue verification checkmarks were restored to high-profile accounts, including some of the deceased. The move comes just days after Twitter CEO Elon Musk's decision to remove the verification checks from VIP users and prominent organizations, sparking backlash from many who claim they did not ask for or want the new badge. Among those caught up in the confusion are rapper Lil Nas X, The New York Times, scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, journalist Kara Swisher, and even the legendary satirical account @dril.
The situation has only added to the chaos at Twitter, highlighting how Musk has eroded the value of the blue check at precisely the moment he's betting on it to drive subscription revenue for his company. The symbol was once a universally recognized online status symbol that authenticated influential accounts on the platform. However, Musk's decision to make it available for a price and politicize it has transformed it into something more confusing. This has been reflected in the recent dueling hashtags #paythe8, backed by supporters of the new-style verification, and #blocktheblue, which represents its critics.
Many high-profile people have expressed their despair after being "punished" with verification badges. Actor Chrissy Teigen reported difficulties trying to get the check mark removed, attempting to change her display name to get it to disappear. The celebrity backlash, combined with the fact that Twitter apparently had to restore some of the badges at its own initiative and expense, reflects not only massive gaps in Musk's plan and execution but also how isolated he is from many of the celebrity users whose content has long kept Twitter afloat.
Musk's war against blue checks comes at a cost. The week after buying Twitter for $44 billion, Musk denounced the platform's legacy approach to verifying celebrities, news organizations, and government accounts. His decision to move forward with a plan to offer verified badges to any user who paid a monthly fee has seemingly led to unintended consequences at every step, including a wave of troubling impersonations and the potential for new scams and misinformation.
Instead of conveying authenticity, Twitter verification is now fraught with multiple conflicting messages. Depending on the context, verification can now reflect a kind of loyalty pledge, a signal of proud support for the direction Musk is taking the company. Or, for some who did not want a badge but received one anyway, it reflects a kind of shame or embarrassment, a distinct sense of un-coolness. For still others, it is a symbol of gullibility and subservience.
Musk's attempt to make verification a revenue stream has backfired spectacularly, leaving many users confused and disgruntled. The move has highlighted the need for a more transparent and meaningful system of verifying high-profile accounts on social media platforms. Whether Musk will take this on board remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Twitter's blue check has lost its lustre, and it will take a lot of work to restore its former glory.
Twitter's recent move to charge for its premium service, Twitter Blue, has caused a rift among high-profile users, and has led to questions about the platform's long-term revenue potential. The move has also raised concerns about Twitter's commitment to egalitarianism.
Many users, including institutional ones like The New York Times and individuals like William Shatner, refused to pay for the service. When Elon Musk, who had promised to bring equality and people power to the site, failed to generate the anticipated wave of subscriptions, he decided to comp the subscriptions of high-profile users like LeBron James, Stephen King, and Shatner.
However, Musk's plan hit a snag when the verification status of some users, including President Joe Biden and Pope Francis, was restored. This move, which marked their accounts as "government or multilateral organization account," created a false perception that they had paid for the service. This, in turn, has led to a collapse of the badge's cultural currency.
Musk's plan to leverage verification's existing cachet as a status symbol to drive subscriptions has backfired. While there are other features of Twitter's subscription product, such as the ability to edit tweets, the paid verification option is a key selling point. But the very act of changing what verification meant has fundamentally transformed the badge's value proposition into something few people appear to value.
Twitter's move to charge for its premium service has caused controversy and raised questions about the platform's commitment to egalitarianism. Musk's plan to leverage verification's status symbol has backfired, and the badge's value proposition has fundamentally transformed into something few people appear to value. It remains to be seen how this will affect the platform's long-term revenue potential.
While some supporters of the new verification system have criticized those unwilling to pay as cheapskates, Musk's backtracking on verification highlights the problem that the internet and social media are not the democratizing force that Silicon Valley insists it is. Despite his populist rhetoric, the reincarnation of all the existing power structures and influence centers of the physical world is evident.
It is clear that some accounts are so important that their viewers must know that it is really them, regardless of payment. However, Twitter's new verification system has only caused confusion and frustration among users. When Fox News and Tucker Carlson cut ties on Monday, Twitter's new verification system got in the way, as some users expressed initial doubt as to whether the journalist accounts reporting the news were authentic.
The failure of Twitter's new verification system has raised questions about the future of the platform and its ability to generate revenue. Musk's pivot has not only undermined the egalitarianism he claims to promote but has also highlighted the challenges of democratizing social media.
It's not just high-profile individuals who are affected by Musk's verification policies. The new system has also caused confusion and frustration for smaller accounts who have been stripped of their verification without explanation, while others have gained the coveted blue checkmark seemingly at random.
The lack of transparency and consistency in the verification process has left many users feeling disillusioned with Twitter, and questioning the platform's commitment to fairness and equality.
In response to the backlash, Twitter has announced that it will be "rethinking" its verification policies and procedures, with the goal of making the process more transparent and inclusive. But for now, the damage has been done.
Musk's attempt to monetize verification has backfired, and instead of generating revenue, it has only served to expose the inequalities and power imbalances that exist within social media.
As Twitter continues to grapple with these issues, the future of the platform remains uncertain. Will it continue to be a bastion of free speech and democratization, or will it succumb to the same forces of censorship and elitism that plague other social media giants?
Only time will tell, but one thing is clear: the battle for the soul of Twitter is far from over.