The Disappearance of Twitter’s Blue Checkmarks and the Introduction of Twitter Blue
Twitter’s blue checkmarks, once an iconic symbol of verification, began disappearing this week after Twitter fully introduced its new subscription service, Twitter Blue. To keep their verification, users are now required to pay a monthly fee of $8.
However, three celebrities – Stephen King, LeBron James, and William Shatner – were able to keep their blue checkmarks without subscribing to the service. This is reportedly due to Elon Musk’s payment for their subscriptions.
Just Shatner, LeBron and King
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 21, 2023
Twitter’s Inaccurate Verification System
The new verification system on Twitter has faced criticism from high-profile users, including Dionne Warwick, who called it an “absolute mess.” The system is also reportedly inaccurate, with some organizations being mislabeled as government-funded or state-affiliated, such as NPR, a publicly-funded media organization.
In the past, Twitter had issues with mislabeling organizations, and also granted verification badges to minor journalists or bloggers who applied, even if they did not meet the necessary criteria or had a very low amount of followers, at times not even breaking 1,000 Twitter followers.
Twitter’s Different Verification Badges
Twitter has introduced different verification badges for organizations and individuals on its platform. Government officials have a gray check, while official businesses and corporations have a gold check. Accounts affiliated with an organization have an affiliation badge, while state-run media entities and individuals who are part of those entities have a separate badge. Blue checks are given to individuals who have subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone numbers.
Celebrity Reactions to Losing Their Blue Checkmarks
Some celebrities have reacted humorously to losing their blue checkmarks, with Chrissy Teigen jokingly tweeting about going to bed with her “checkmark husband” and knowing it will all be over by morning. Ice-T implied he would not be paying for the blue checkmark, but still had it as of Friday morning.
The Benefits of Twitter Blue
Apart from retaining the blue checkmark, Twitter Blue also allows users to write and edit longer tweets. However, many high-profile users have refused to pay for the subscription, leading to the disappearance of their blue checkmarks.
