The Twitter CEO’s bid to pressure users into paying for a blue check mark seemingly hasn’t gone according to plan, with big-name users refusing to fork out but seeing their verification mark stay in place anyway.
Elon Musk first rolled out a subscription model for blue ticks on profiles available to anyone—which signal the account is verified—in November, shortly after buying the social media platform. The initial rollout was paused when impostor accounts flooded the platform, then later resumed, but the goal remained the same: Only paying users would receive a blue tick, and if users that had been previously verified, such as politicians, celebrities, and media outlets didn’t pay, the mark would be taken away.
It is unclear how many people signed up to buy a blue tick. According to The Information, however, users signed up for subscriptions like Twitter Blue totaled around 180,000 in mid-January, less than 0.2% of monthly active users.
While payment for a blue tick has been a slow burn, the time to implement the second part of the Tesla CEO’s plan—to remove ticks from so-called “legacy” users within 90 days of Twitter Blue being rolled out—has arrived. The deadline had been March 30.
However, on April 1 verified users woke up to find their marks intact with only one change. Clicking on the verification symbol on profiles opens an explanation that reads: “This account is verified because it subscribes to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.”
The mixing of legacy users and those seeking to appear as verified by paying for Twitter Blue hasn’t gone down fantastically well with some people. Many have pointed out that by unifying the check mark it only makes it easier for impersonators to target high-profile users and spread disinformation.
“This account is verified because we actually verified who this person is or they paid us $8 to look the other way. One of those. Who knows?” pic.twitter.com/kP3HKOHPrR
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) April 2, 2023
American activist Monica Lewinsky tweeted last week that she was already being targeted by impersonators, who had subscribed to Twitter Blue arguably in a bid to make the profile look more authentic. She added: “In what universe is this fair to people who can suffer consequences for being impersonated? A lie travels halfway around the world before truth even gets out the door.”
well this is going to be fun… pic.twitter.com/sMab5OvAXa
— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) March 26, 2023
Further confusing the situation, the move to leave “legacy” blue checks intact hasn’t been uniformly applied. Musk notably removed the tick from the New York Times’ main profile, but not from other big-brand news outlets, after a user tweeted him, saying: “New York Times says it won’t pay for Twitter verification.”
Musk, who is reportedly trying to turn Twitter into a $250 billion company, replied, “Oh ok, we’ll take it off then,” before launching an attack on the publication: “Their feed is the Twitter equivalent of diarrhea. It’s unreadable. They would have far more real followers if they only posted their top articles. Same applies to all publications.”
Calling Elon’s bluff
Musk has spent the past several weeks sparring with celebrities over the verification process, and it appears that some stars are questioning whether it’s even “cool” to be verified anymore.
“I’m a little embarrassed by the blue check to be honest with you. Maybe it’s cooler not to have checks. It’s definitely not cool to pay for it,” actor Jack Black told Variety at the Super Mario Bros. Movie premiere this weekend. The School of Rock star added: “I’m gonna see what happens if I don’t pay for it. I’m gonna call his bluff, see if he really takes my check away. Then I’m going to hold a big press conference to bring attention to this weird injustice.”
Black’s gamble paid off with his tick still in place at the time of writing. His costar on the Mario Bros. project, Chris Pratt, had a steely warning to would-be impersonators looking to imitate him: “Good luck.”
Hello everyone! My Twitter account may lose its ‘blue tick’ verified status very soon. Please be aware that this will remain my ONLY official Twitter account! Watch out for scammers/impersonators – I do not contact fans or sell anything over Twitter DMs. Thank you!
— Peter Hook (@peterhook) March 31, 2023
When asked if he’d pay for a blue tick in order to maintain continuity for his fans, he said: “I don’t know. I care deeply about all of [my followers]. I’ll do whatever I have to do to stay a part of their lives because I respect their attention and I love to use it as an opportunity to talk to them when I’m doing movies and stuff.” Also on the red carpet was comedian Seth Rogen, who has 9.3 million followers on the platform. He said he was unfazed by the conflict: “I hardly ever use it.”
Other celebrities have shaken off the issue by suggesting the number of fans in the follower count is more important. Musician Ice Spice tweeted earlier this month: “1M on here is heavy blue check wya :’),” implying impersonators couldn’t compete with her account, which is followed by 1.2 million.
Household names like basketball player LeBron James are seemingly unbothered by the changes, writing on March 31: “Welp guess my blue ✔️will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5.” Despite choosing a tack similar to the New York Times’ in openly saying he wouldn’t pay, James still has his badge.
Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2023
