In case you missed it, initial reports from Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter this week revealed he has dissolved the board of directors (including CEO Parag Agrawal and head of legal, policy and safety Vijaya Gadde) to become its sole director, and is considering a first round of layoffs that could affect a quarter of the staff after months of back and forth over the $44 billion deal.
He is also reportedly planning to implement a $20 charge per month for Twitter users to keep their blue tick, an indication of a verified account.
As reported by numerous platforms like The Guardian, The Verge, and Forbes, the Tesla chief executive will give verified Twitter users 90 days to sign up to Twitter Blue, shelling out a monthly fee for the blue tick, or risk losing it.
Understandably, the implications of this move have many concerned about the spread of disinformation on the platform.
The point of Twitter verification is that for certain individuals/organizations it’s useful to be able to verify their statements are coming from them. (This is why so many journalists/reporters are verified.) It’s supposed to help combat disinformation, not be a status symbol.
— Katie Mack (@AstroKatie) October 31, 2022
I don’t know how many times this needs to be said…
A verification check mark only means Twitter has verified the identity of the person tweeting.
It does NOT mean anything else.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 یاشار (@yashar) October 30, 2022
Having campaigned against PAID-FOR scam ads for years, I’m concerned at rumours Twitter will turn the verified #blueTick into a paid-for option.
Scammers, shysters, criminals are likely to be happy to pay for, and manipulate this, for a veneer of legitimacy.
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) October 31, 2022
Some of the most trustworthy accounts on Twitter have never been @verified and have even been declined.
Some of the biggest purveyors of disinformation, conspiracy theories, and propaganda are @verified.
The “blue check” has never been merit-based nor an indicator of accuracy.
— Leah McElrath 🏳️🌈 (@leahmcelrath) October 31, 2022
It has even been called a money grab, an unnecessary move intended to increase Twitter’s revenue.
By most projections, the platform could see up to $100 million in potential revenue from the platform’s over 400,000 verified accounts should everyone sign up to the service.
423K – Total Verified Twitter accounts
$20 – Monthly Charges Twitter may levy
$240 – Annual charges
—————
$100 Million – Expected additional revenue to Twitter if they chose to levy monthly charge on verified users— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) October 31, 2022
Apparently Twitter will charge $20 a month for someone to be “verified” on Twitter?
That makes verification meaningless.
The whole point was so people know you are the real you.
I can barely afford to fill my grocery cart, I can’t afford a checkmark.
I’m me I swear I am!
— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) October 31, 2022
The Elon Musk $20 a month for a blue tick idea is one that is so bad, it has the power to destroy Twitter on its own. One, attaching a monetary value to the blue tick destroys its desirability completely. It’s like giving out Olympic gold medals to the highest bidder.
— Nick Tyrone (@NicholasTyrone) October 31, 2022
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Bring on the memes
But in true Twitter fashion, the bizarre announcement has also brought out a fair share of memes and quips. From journalists to media personalities, many are weighing in on the decision.
You’re not a genius businessman so you won’t understand why it’s smart to first buy something for $44 billion and only then frantically try to figure out how to make money with it
— Respected Influencer (@InternetHippo) October 31, 2022
Instead of paying $20 a month to be verified, you could pay me $20 a month to follow you around telling everyone around you that you’re cool on Twitter dot com
— lavender baj (@lavosaurus) October 31, 2022
Apparently not bothering to get ourselves a blue tick was prescient, we are geniuses
— marquelawyers (@marquelawyers) October 31, 2022
I’d like to pretend my blue tick doesn’t mean anything to me but of course it is absolutely everything and I will talk about losing it in therapy
— anna spargo-ryan (@annaspargoryan) October 31, 2022
Scoop: Twitter is requiring verified journalists to retweet at least two Elon Musk posts each day, and write one original tweet each week discussing a quality of Elon’s they admire
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 31, 2022
Broke: claiming you will give up your blue check mark if you have to pay $4 a month for it
Woke: admitting that you are broken and empty inside and will pay anything if it means that you get to seem more successful than the cool kids who had iPhones in year 7— Matilda Boseley (@MatildaBoseley) October 31, 2022
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