“To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8,” Elon Musk said in a tweet on Wednesday, November 2. This was the new (temporary) Twitter CEO’s message to all those who were not happy with his announcement to introduce paid verification on Twitter. The social media giant’s decision to charge $8 for its Blue subscription, which also includes the sought after “blue tick” or verification badge, comes less than a week after Elon Musk took over the reins of Twitter. Initially after his takeover, Musk had given an ultimatum to his employees to start charging $20 per month for Twitter verification, with the aim of monetising the service, as well as to rely less on advertisements.
However, this decision was met with severe criticism, with the likes of American author Stephen King taking to Twitter to voice his disappointment. “$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me,” King had tweeted on October 31. Replying to the author, Musk had said, “We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?”
On Tuesday, Elon Musk tweeted: “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month”. Introducing a paid verification system is probably one of the first major changes that Musk has brought into the microblogging site after he took over. The billionaire, during the months leading up to his Twitter acquisition, had reiterated the fact that he wanted to revamp the way in which Twitter verifies accounts. “The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” he had earlier said.
So what do users get with paid verification? According to Musk, who now refers to himself as the “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator”, a paid Twitter blue subscriber, apart from the blue badge will get – priority in replies, mentions and searches, ability to post long video and audio, as well as being subjected to lesser ads. “This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators. There will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians,” said the Twitter chief.
The decision has been met with mixed responses ranging from people who feel that this is a much needed step to those opposing it. “The Blue Tick is Twitter's iPhone. Every1 craves it. Monetizing it may unlock a billion dollars in revenue. One can't understand why celebrities are creating a ruckus, over paying for their privileges. $8/month is a great idea. Bring it on,” said one user.
Meanwhile, a Twitter influencer Jack said, “Being verified was fun while it lasted. Not a chance I'm paying $20 a month for twitter blue just to keep the blue tick”.
Here are some of the other responses:
@elonmusk will there be any actual verification of identity, though? Or will bot-farms and IT-cells be able to pay for blue-ticks even for all their fake profiles?
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) November 2, 2022
The answer to this single question is what will decide whether twitter survives or tanks. https://t.co/Tx2Lz5eQqp
Twitter just needs 500million people to pay for blue tick for an year to recover Elon’s money and make a profit
— Vaibhav Sisinty (@VaibhavSisinty) November 1, 2022
Power to the people? You’re literally lining your own pockets for blue check marks. More like power to Elon’s bank account.
— Kyle Hyland (@kkhyland13) November 1, 2022