Users of formerly verified Twitter accounts watched their blue verification ticks disappear yesterday.
The social media platform finally followed through on its promise to reserve verification for users paying the monthly subscription fee of $8 (approximately £6.45) a month for Twitter Blue.
Previously verified accounts, ranging from the most minor celebrities to sporting and pop culture icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Beyonce, are now left with no official verification to their Twitter profiles. This comes after accounts of this nature were left with their blue ticks as so-called ‘legacy’ accounts.
Reactions to the news were as strong and opinionated as ever. Numerous high-profile personalities have announced that they will not be paying for Twitter Blue.
A more level-headed response, however, could be found from Sesame Street’s Elmo, who assured his adoring fans of his legitimacy despite losing his stamp of authenticity from Twitter.
Elmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don’t worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo! ❤️
— Elmo (@elmo) April 20, 2023
A few instances emerged of celebrities who announced they would not pay for Twitter Blue appearing with a verification tick declaring they had subscribed to the service and verified their phone number. Basketball icon LeBron James, as well as author Stephen King and actor William Shatner, declared they would never pay $8 a month to use Twitter. However, questions were raised when their accounts featured the blue tick.
As reported by The Verge and verified by King himself, it turns out that these celebrities did not sign up for Twitter Blue, but instead were simply promoted as doing so. Twitter CEO Elon Musk responded by declaring that he was personally shouldering the cost of Twitter Blue for James, King and Shatner.
I’m paying for a few personally
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023
With the landscape of Twitter verification officially altered, it’ll be interesting to see if Twitter Blue becomes a more sought-after asset for many of the world’s celebrities. For advice on how to gain the most exposure on social media, speak to our experts at Engage Web.
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