Everything you Need to Know about Elon Musk and the Twitter Blue Checkmark Fiasco

We all heard about the blue checkmarks being removed from Twitter and all the backlash Elon Musk received because of his decision. But in case you missed out on what’s been happening these last couple of months and want a recap, keep reading.  

Recently, Elon Musk made headlines for gifting blue checkmarks to high-profile users he claimed to have personally paid for, causing a fiasco that highlighted the checkmark’s perceived value in the app.

Before the Twitter Blue program, Twitter used to give legacy blue ticks to accounts deemed credible, notable, and trustworthy. Twitter Blue was launched in 2021 as a subscription service for users to access exclusive features. However, Twitter’s decision to remove the legacy blue ticks and only display them for Twitter Blue subscribers prompted a backlash. Many high-profile users refused to pay for the subscription service, and as a result, the value of the blue tick decreased significantly.

Twitter responded to the backlash by reinstating free blue checkmarks for accounts with over a million followers, despite not having previously paid for them. However, the move did not alleviate the damage done to the feature’s value. Moreover, Twitter’s subscription revenue push has not been successful, with few users signing up for Twitter Blue or the $1000 per month fee.

In response to the debacle, Elon Musk gifted blue checkmarks to some high-profile users. He claimed to have personally paid for these verifications, adding to the confusion around the feature’s worth. In addition, Musk has criticized traditional media as biased and driven by political agendas. He believes that enabling citizen journalism by making verification a level playing field for all will help to address this.

Despite Musk’s claims of bringing a new approach to Twitter, many of the changes made by his Twitter 2.0 team have either been rolled back or reformed into similar rules to what they had been previously. Twitter has gifted verification to its top 10,000 advertisers and individuals with over a million followers and launched a new application procedure for government-affiliated profiles to confirm their identity and eligibility for the marker.

Twitter is set to introduce a cheaper verification package for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to obtain the gold checkmark on the app. The new package may be a more viable option for brands looking to maximize their tweet exposure and reach, especially since Twitter ads are now restricted to verified accounts only.

We can all agree that the Twitter blue checkmark fiasco has highlighted its value in the app. While Twitter has attempted to maintain a level of credibility and interest in its subscription revenue push, the damage has been done. It remains to be seen how the company will implement significant changes to advance its offerings with fewer staff and its focus on charging users more money for its tools. Regardless, the blue checkmark will continue to be a point of contention for users and social media experts alike.