Twitter begins removing blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts, fulfilling one of Elon Musk's long-stated plans; Musk has called the system “corrupt”
Elon already took away the blue check from some publications like the The New York Times … Caroline Giegerich : The Twitter check shakedown has begun. Twitter has officially begun removing blue checks from legacy users. … Mastodon: Rod Hilton / @rodhilton@mastodon.social : I'm sorry but this is just the funniest shit ever. — These losers were mad that celebs had checkmarks and they didn't. Now they can buy the same checkmark and they're mad that the celebs won't. Tweets: Stephen King / @stephenking : My Twitter account says I've subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't. My Twitter account says I've given a phone number. I haven't. Jonathan Mayer / @jonathanmayer : Since today is the blue check apocalypse, here's a new research paper on Twitter's paid account “verification.” What we learned: 1) Most people don't understand what blue checks now mean. 2) Paid accounts are disproportionately crypto bros, Elon stans, new, and conservative. https://twitter.com/... @catturd2 : Hollywood celebrities are showing exactly who they are right now - arrogant elitist snobs worth $200 million dollars who won't pay $8 because they think they're better than everyone else. Alex Heath / @alexeheath : NEW: Have confirmed that LeBron, who has 52 million followers and has said he won't pay for verification, was emailed by a Twitter employee with the offer to have his sub comped “on behalf of Elon Musk.” James did not accept but his account is showing that he paid anyway. John Scott-Railton / @jsrailton : I can practically *feel* the coming uptick in scamming. https://twitter.com/... Matt Binder / @mattbinder : paid bluechecks with 10 followers running celebrities off the platform for simply choosing not to pay. the business genius strikes again. https://twitter.com/... @elmo : Elmo will miss you, little blue check mark. But don't worry everybody, Elmo is still Elmo! ❤️ Elad Nehorai / @eladnehorai : Verified account Unverified account https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... @mrseanhaines : RIP “China state-affiliated media” tags~ https://twitter.com/... @uscpsc : Fly now, blue check. You're free 🦋 https://twitter.com/... @jason : If you're a business executive or an entertainer who makes money from your persona in some way, $8 a month for twitter is objectively the greatest bargain in the world. If you get 1 new fan a year or a new customer every decade it pays for itself many times over. Halle Berry / @halleberry : 😂😂 https://twitter.com/... Ice T / @finallevel : The fact that we're even discussing Blue Check marks is a Sad moment in society. Smh lol. Don / @donswaynos : It's very funny that for years these nerds wanted to get checkmarks and also wanted celebrities to lose their checkmarks. Now that their wishes have been granted they're unhappy because only nerds have checkmarks. https://twitter.com/... John Biggs / @johnbiggs : Twitter advertisers are now solely scammers. Excellent. https://twitter.com/... Tim Hogan / @timjhogan : they really took his check https://twitter.com/... @spenolpalinusa : So Musk quietly removed the “Russia state-affiliated media” label from all the Russian propaganda accounts. I suspected he would do that at some point, and it became pretty clear when he labeled CBC “69% government-funded.” The whole point was to turn the label into a joke. https://twitter.com/... Ben Collins / @oneunderscore__ : Now the checks really are block on command. Sorry to anybody who experimented with it, you are the baby and this is the bathwater. Brian Gaar / @briangaar : Everyone with Twitter Blue has become an Herbalife rep https://twitter.com/... Halle Berry / @halleberry : Me joining you all tomorrow unverified 🥰 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Anthony Atamanuik / @tonyatamanuik : It really is something to behold, the Blue Check is now the perfect way to identify and block every toxic piece of shit that resides on this site! Thank you @elonmusk https://twitter.com/... @fed_speak : Twitter but as a MLM scheme https://twitter.com/... Dan Primack / @danprimack : All checkmarks (blue and otherwise) seem to have disappeared from legacy Tweetdeck. Even for those who paid. Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : But u don't need a checkmark to make $$ from ur persona, that's the point. Musk's latest changes only show that, once again, tech founders fundamentally don't understand the value of online creators. The platform should be paying its big creators, not the other way around! https://twitter.com/... Frida Ghitis / @fridaghitis : An account posing as Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - which are currently battling the Sudanese army in a major power struggle - tweeted that its leader, Hemedti, had been killed. Although the account is fake, it has a blue checkmark https://www.bbc.com/... Mason Mount / @masonmount : Over the years I've thoroughly enjoyed connecting with you all on Twitter. Sadly, the platform is changing so I have decided to delete my account. You all can still connect with me on my other social media platforms here: https://masonmount.komi.io/ Take care, Mason ✌🏻 Joseph Menn / @josephmenn : Goodbye, state-affiliated media labels. https://twitter.com/... @modestproposal1 : If you're a business that makes money from monetizing the content creation of business executives or entertainers, charging them $8 a month is objectively one of the worst strategic decisions in the world. If you get (got!) 2 US mDAUs, or 5 global ones, it pays for itself. https://twitter.com/... David Ruddock / @rdrv3 : Elon didn't actually get rid of verified. He got rid of the actual UI element. The checkmark. Amazing. https://twitter.com/... Alex von Tunzelmann / @alexvtunzelmann : Just looked up the tweets and all the blue tick replies appear first under any tweet, meaning that a reader must now wade through a swamp of dullness before anyone says anything funny or interesting. So I guess that's conversation killed on here as well https://twitter.com/... Scott Galloway / @profgalloway : Next: buy 10,000 Twitter followers for $10 @steinkobbe : They're starting to realize the cool value they associated with bluechecks is gone now that they're the ones that have them https://twitter.com/... Victor Agreda Jr / @superpixels : the circle is complete, let the age of the ever-felching butthole reign https://twitter.com/... @scotusblog : Bye, Twitter. 🥺 The tipping point was having to pay for verification, when we feel we add a lot of value. We also feel solidarity with NPR, and share concerns about Twitter's direction. You can find us on the blog and TikTok. If we join another platform, we'll send word here. 🫡 @ciara : Blue check or no check... I know my fans still checkin. ❤️ Paul Graham / @paulg : Deleting the original blue checks makes it easy for the first time to see what proportion of users pay for them. Of the 723 accounts I follow, 136 have paid, 28 are either verified organizations or associated with one, and 559 have neither. Matt Binder / @mattbinder : actually, looks like when removing legacy verified blue checkmarks...Twitter accidentally removed *all* state-affiliated, government-funded, & public-funded media tags on every account not just RT...NPR, PBS, BBC, CBC...none of them have it anymore lol https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Caroline Baniewicz / @carolinebano : Even Elmo is like fuck this shit I'm not paying https://twitter.com/... Bill Brasky / @billbrasky2620 : The Pope doesn't even get to keep his blue check mark? That's cold!!!! https://twitter.com/... Dan Primack / @danprimack : Losing my blue checkmark doesn't negatively impact me, except that other people losing their blue checkmarks makes Twitter less useful for me. Ben Stiller / @benstiller : No blue check, still feel like me. @doctorow : If you're angry that I gave a giant asshole $8 so I could get an “edit tweet” button, holy shit are you going to be furious when you find out where the fossil fuels that heat my house come from. Shopping your way out of monopoly capitalism is a fool's errand. You are not an... https://twitter.com/... @bromojumbo : Losing money, cried about being bullied on here, rocket exploded, AND he's become a paypig to celebs who don't want to pay for twitter blue. It can't get any funnier than this (it will). https://twitter.com/... @tmz : It's a dark time on Twitter, as some of the biggest celebs are gettin' stripped of their precious blue checkmarks ... but despite Elon Musk ditching the legacy verifications, there are still some big names handing the bird its monthly fee to keep it going. https://www.tmz.com/... Euan MacDonald / @euan_macdonald : It's obvious removing the verified user feature will allow disinformation to spread more easily. It's unlikely Musk doesn't understand this - I don't think he's stupid, this has to be his intention. Looking forward to what Fake Pope has to say, however. https://www.bbc.com/... @bbcworld : Beyonce and the Pope among those to lose Twitter blue check in purge https://www.bbc.com/... Alex Heath / @alexeheath : As Elon nukes legacy checkmarks today, Twitter is saying some celebs, including @KingJames, are paying for verification even though they aren't https://www.theverge.com/... Marques Brownlee / @mkbhd : I understand that I will now be judged for the blue check, but I need to accept that because I still need the edit button https://twitter.com/... @harddrivemag : me? uhh i actually never knew that verification mark... https://twitter.com/... Manish Singh / @refsrc : Twitter founders are not buying Blue either. https://twitter.com/... Bryce Durbin / @dicebourbon : https://twitter.com/... @keyawnce3 : Beyoncé not playing for a blue check mark is HILARIOUS https://twitter.com/... @theregister : Elon's rocket exploded so hard, it blew everyone's blue ticks off Arnaud Bertrand / @rnaudbertrand : Interestingly all the “China-state affiliated media” tags seem to have disappeared from Twitter alongside the legacy blue badges. https://twitter.com/... @benfrubinstein : Twitter has removed state affiliated labels from employees of RT https://twitter.com/... @astridwilde1 : all “state affiliated media” tags on the site were removed today 🧐 e.g. @CBCNews @BBCNews @RT_com @chenweihua Shayan Sardarizadeh / @shayan86 : Twitter looks... different. https://twitter.com/... Jason Goldman / @goldman : It is funny the language around verification has changed so that verified = “paid for Blue and verified their phone number” which obvs isn't identity verification at all. It means you have $8 and a phone. https://twitter.com/... Lora Kolodny / @lorakolodny : lol my bluecheck disappeared but my background photo did too? https://twitter.com/... @k8em0 : So long blue check. It was nice to have the ability to defend myself from harassment via impersonation. But who cares about Internet safety & verified authenticity. Buying a blue badge won't stop impersonation since anyone can do it. https://twitter.com/... Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy : Verification is officially dead on Twitter as Musk introduces more chaos onto the platform. Meredith Whittaker / @mer__edith : Never had a blue check/most popular girl in the general admission line outside the club @plasticmartyr : The #BlueCheckMark is gone which means now it's easier to identify the trolls & maga lunatics. No sane person would pay for Twitter blue & give $$ to a greedy billionaire. The verified badge is now the new red MAGA hat. Boycott Twitter Blue Legacy forever 🖕 https://twitter.com/... Dan Rather / @danrather : Today proves yet again that you can't buy class but you can buy a blue check mark. Kashif Pirzada / @kashprime : Government organizations may have no choice but to move off Twitter at this point. https://twitter.com/... Dan Primack / @danprimack : Tweeted that @Tesla doesn't have a checkmark. Apparently it has a gold one. But they are no longer appearing on Tweetdeck because... well just because. Aaron Rupar / @atrupar : SCOOP: Elon Musk is no longer removing legacy blue checks, but instead will require all users to post at least one tweet a week discussing a quality of his they admire in order to maintain active accounts on the platform. Suki Waterhouse / @sukiwaterhouse : https://twitter.com/... Aaron Rupar / @atrupar : things are going great https://twitter.com/... Nikita Bier / @nikitabier : In a strange twist of irony, the people without checkmarks are the real checkmarks now. Natalie Egenolf / @natalieegenolf : What a time to be alive. https://twitter.com/... Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg : having an absolute blast seeing who paid for the checks @ow : lol everyone lost their ticks but mine is still here because i “pay for blue” even tho i have never done such a thing!!! ...please, i'd pay to delete this shame https://twitter.com/... @golikehellmachi : incredible business strategy, getting some of the most well-known people on earth to publicly state that they're not paying for your product and that you're lying when you tell people they are https://twitter.com/... Harrison Faigen / @hmfaigen : “We contacted James' media advisor, Adam Mendelsohn, who confirmed that James hasn't paid the $8 monthly fee.” https://www.theverge.com/... Will Oremus / @willoremus : Say what you will about Elon, he's always thinking a step ahead. For instance, he made sure to jack up the price of the Twitter API before turning the blue check into a mark of shame, so now no one can easily build a tool that lets you autoblock all the Twitter Blue subscribers. James Titcomb / @jamestitcomb : Is Tim Cook is paying the full $11/month for Twitter Blue or going through the web to avoid the $3 in App Store fees? https://twitter.com/... Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D / @rvawonk : The only implication of the blue checkmark issue that matters is that it will contribute immensely to online deception. That's literally the only thing anyone should be talking about, yet it's not at all what anyone is talking about. Egos are amazing things. Thor Benson / @thor_benson : It's gonna be fun constantly checking usernames and follower counts when there's breaking news and you need to make sure the person tweeting it is legit Patrick Howell O'Neill / @howelloneill : I love the people whose blue checks are accidentally still on their profiles for whatever snafu reason and are therefore desperately trying to explain/plea that they didn't pay for it Zoe Kleinman / @zsk : Looks like the verification blue ticks have all gone now. I am not a Twitter Blue subscriber so you are just going to have to take my word for it that I am who I say I am. It's worked so far! Tom Coates / @tomcoates : Even your verified section of your notifications still works like before. At least for now. What a half-assed job. If he was smart, he'll just be hiding the mark because when it's revealed to be a massive fuck up he'd then be able to reverse the decision. Don't hold your breath Tom Coates / @tomcoates : I *knew* this would be how he'd do it. Just hide the badge. So you can still filter for actual verified people if you want to. https://twitter.com/... @eve6 : Ok it's official if someone has a blue check now they're likely a white nationalist with 30 followers and if they don't they're a journalist or halle berry or something Matt Rosoff / @mattrosoff : Say whatever you want about Elon Musk, if his actions on this site can get more of us to spend less time on this site and more time doing real activities in the physical world, that's a net-good. Farhad Manjoo / @fmanjoo : Damn check out the elitist bluechecks, the woke mind virus cannot be stopped https://twitter.com/... @saeeddicaprio : bro's rocket failed and he's taking it out on us https://twitter.com/... Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg : these people are fascinating—just debilitatingly painful to observe, absolutely incredible https://twitter.com/... Christopher Ingraham🦗 / @_cingraham : huh that's weird https://twitter.com/... @saeeddicaprio : all because the rocket didn't pay for twitter blue :( https://twitter.com/... Phillips P. OBrien / @phillipspobrien : Not sure Musk has thought this through https://twitter.com/... Brandy Zadrozny / @brandyzadrozny : And I'm starless! But for real, this website let me connect with reporters and friends and sources and an audience and reliable information during breaking news. I'm grateful for it. I'm hopeful that someone will make the next thing that does that. https://twitter.com/... Vlad Savov / @vladsavov : - Why should I join your social network? - It's not enriching one of the richest men in the world by charging you for basic functionality. - I'm intrigued. Tell me more. Tero Kuittinen / @teroterotero : The new blue checks don't comprehend that the emblem is doing a speed run of what happened to “Britney” as a baby name. It was a sophisticated, high end name in 1980 - and it got a trailer park connotation when low income families started embracing it. https://twitter.com/... Aric Toler / @arictoler : Assuming Elon doesn't backtrack tomorrow on this verified thing, this will be the final ever legacy-verified tweet: https://twitter.com/... Soraya Darabi / @sorayadarabi : Lost my blue check mark after being the first woman on the suggested user list and honestly don't care at all. Nick Stylianou / @nmsonline : Anyone with a blue tick on Twitter from now on is paying upwards of £114 a year to use this free website and app. Alex Howard / @digiphile : While I'm not surprised that Donald Trump didn't pay @elonmusk to be @verified as a @TwitterBlue subscriber, I am surprised that @Twitter chose to unverifying @realDonaldTrump instead of giving him a grey check, as it has many personal/campaign accounts of Members of Congress. https://twitter.com/... Mr. Bedtime / @internethippo : Every beef gets settled today https://twitter.com/... Tero Kuittinen / @teroterotero : The logical outcome is that nobody even semi famous now wants to pay for a blue check because it would expose them for the type of people who pay for a blue check. https://twitter.com/... Kendrick Perkins / @kendrickperkins : They took my Blue Check?!!! They can keep that MF because I refuse to pay to be famous!!! Carry the hell on... Tom Warren / @tomwarren : all legacy blue tick Twitter users are also about to experience a rapid unscheduled disassembly 🙃 Leo Kelion / @leokelion : So from now on a blue tick signifies someone who is paying to get more attention (among other benefits). It will be interesting to see if that generates LESS engagement from others as a result of a cringe effect. @eve6 : Hey @catturd2 I'm no longer verified and my engagement is through the roof you should have someone look into this Tero Kuittinen / @teroterotero : Didn't expect USCPSC to go this hard but here we are https://twitter.com/... Kurt Wagner / @kurtwagner8 : Weird to see the celebs without the blue check https://twitter.com/... Myriam Joire / @tnkgrl : I'll just leave this here for the memories and the LOLs! Yes I used to be #legacyverified... No, I'm not paying for the stupid #bluecheckmark :) https://twitter.com/... Matthew Green / @matthew_d_green : For the record, I got my check from Mudge during a period when scammers were doing crazy impersonations of everyone, including (weirdly) professors like me. It wasn't there to establish how cool I am (although I am cool!) but to protect people from getting scammed. Matthew Gertz / @mattgertz : Suckers, I was the congressman this entire time! Evan Hill / @evanhill : in one fell swoop a blue check went from generally meaning a verified celeb, brand, CEO, politician, journalist, academic etc. to almost exclusively crypto/AI/ponzi/attention economy scammers Barack Obama / @jamieeast : Hi it's me, former president of the United StatesBarak 08ama. Please send me money @jperlow : A surprising number of people I follow and some I know personally paid for this damn thing. Yuck. Walt Mossberg / @waltmossberg : Farewell, genuine blue checkmark next to my genuine profile. And remember: in a system where people pay for an indicator of identity, you can't trust that it means anything. I would be happy to subscribe to Twitter for extra features, as long as it *didn't* sell checkmarks. John Biggs / @johnbiggs : Goodbye, blue checkmark Though I don't really give a fuck You were a useful tool to prove to folks That I wasn't just some schmuck And it seems to me that Elon Musk It's making Twitter even worse Never knowing who to placate from the alt-rightiverse Alex Howard / @digiphile : That was fast: @twitter unverified the @USCPSC. Ridiculous, & embarrassing. (Also, hilarious: give this staffer a raise.) Every US government agency should be @verified through @Digital_Gov https://open.gsa.gov/... & have a label in April 2023. Unverifying US gov't is unwise. https://twitter.com/... Jamie Wilkinson / @jamiewiikinson : The blue tick. Lived it, loved it, but you can fuck right off if you think I'm paying for it. Shane Harris / @shaneharris : Unchecked and balanced. Joe Rossignol / @rsgnl : Twitter is a shit show now and not worth paying for in my opinion. I'm still here because I think it remains the best way to reach the most people and access the most information, but I'm tired of all the “HAHA 69% 420 YOLO!” decision making. Charlie Warzel / @cwarzel : buzzfeed news shuttering the day twitter gets rid of the checks is some very real ‘the long 2010s ended today’ shit @panzer : Ex post checko David Ruddock / @rdrv3 : I will verify your Twitter profile if you send me $20 on Cash app and have a 15 second zoom in which I make you answer one inane and utterly unpredictable question with your face fully visible. For this, I will send you an individually numbered postcard. In the mail. Matt Navarra / @mattnavarra : the new Twitter verification label https://twitter.com/... Matt / @dogfather : the dog lost their blue check i have no idea if these thoughts are coming from a real dog or not https://twitter.com/... Ed Zitron / @edzitron : It is really funny that Elon Musk managed to destroy the value of the checkmark specifically so he could sell it. It now means absolutely nothing. It doesn't verify anything. It isn't notable. I'm honestly impressed he worked out how to delete the legacy ones too Ed Zitron / @edzitron : The Blue Checkmark is now The Dunce's Brand Aric Toler / @arictoler : Sort of true — Twitter has verified status built into tweets themselves, so when you search for legacy verified tweets, you only see old ones. (Congrats to @nmsonline for the final ever legacy verified tweet) https://twitter.com/search https://twitter.com/... Frederic Lardinois / @fredericl : The nice thing about losing the blue check is that I can now quickly unfollow anyone who paid. Will Oremus / @willoremus : If you love your blue check, let it go. If it returns it's yours; if it doesn't, it never was James Ball / @jamesrbuk : New @journalismfest party game: breaking the news to journalists that they've lost their blue tick. #ijf2023 Kalhan / @kalhanr : the evil has finally been defeated https://twitter.com/... Drew Olanoff / @yoda : congrats for finally figuring out how to do the checkmark thing team “@twitter”. https://twitter.com/... Jonathan Chait / @jonathanchait : Now is the time to establish a rival bluecheck Pope at Avignon! It's just $8 a month, plus the cost of a small palace https://twitter.com/... Alex Sherman / @sherman4949 : The “Verified” mentions tab is still up for those who are nostalgic. “Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road...” Shirin Ghaffary / @shiringhaffary : after months of delay, i'm kind of on disbelief the Great Blue Checkmark removal is actually happening Will Oremus / @willoremus : [to the tune of bye bye blackbird] bye bye blue check Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols / @sjvn : Oh no! Oh, woe! I no longer have a Blue Checkmark! Whatever will I do!? Keep on keeping on. Ina Fried / @inafried : No blue check? Check. https://twitter.com/... Scott Nover / @scottnover : I'm a man of the people now. Kat Tenbarge / @kattenbarge : It's a post-check world out here https://twitter.com/... Adam Singer / @adamsinger : Will taking financial advise from people with blue checkmarks make you lose money? Yes Will taking advice from people without blue checkmarks make you lose money? Also yes Philip Bump / @pbump : So tired of the blue-check elites constantly hyping crypto, stanning Elon Musk and posting boomer memes. Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane : I would like to reiterate that I subscribed to Twitter Blue for testing purposes just so I can document features that are paywalled And I'll no longer do so when I move on from digging features for good. Chris Schilling / @schillingc : Yes, it's true. This man has no tick. https://twitter.com/... Joanna Stern / @joannastern : Today is the day. The day you all find out I pay for Twitter Blue. Please don't @ me. @jbrodkin : I'm unverified now but I still like to think that I may or may not be notable Christina Warren / @film_girl : The legacy blue checks are starting to get deactivated! Wow. Didn't think he'd do it but here we are! Taylor Lorenz / @taylorlorenz : We're free bitch!!!!!!!! https://twitter.com/... @strngwys : oh, it's gone. FINALLY. Now I can tell you, Roberto Baldwin was eaten by an alligator 8 years ago. I'm just a dude that found his name and password on a piece of discarded candy wrapper near the incident. But now, I am finally free. @strngwys : now the blue check flashes. So that's cool https://twitter.com/... Isaac Hepworth / @isaach : https://twitter.com/... Barry Schwartz / @rustybrick : it does that weird flash on and off on refresh https://twitter.com/... Kurt Wagner / @kurtwagner8 : goodnight sweet prince. I will miss you. https://twitter.com/... Tom Warren / @tomwarren : no more blue tick 🫡 https://twitter.com/... Sherrilyn Ifill / @sifill_ : Tweet of the year! #BossLady https://twitter.com/... See also Mediagazer
The VergeJon Porter
Context & Ripple Effects
This is the execution of Twitter’s previously announced wind-down of the legacy verification program, replacing a status signal introduced under the old system with the company’s Blue subscription model.
The move lands after several major news organizations said they would not buy or reimburse Blue subscriptions for staff, creating an early test of whether paid verification can retain institutional users as well as individual ones.
First-order effects
Legacy-verified accounts lose the platform-provided blue checkmark unless they move into Twitter Blue, immediately changing how their identity signal appears to other users.
Twitter makes Blue the primary route to a visible verification badge, while organizations and public figures must decide whether the subscription is worth paying for.
Second-order effects
Newsrooms and other institutions that declined to subsidize Blue may face less consistent account signaling across reporters and brands, reinforcing their resistance to the product.
Because the same badge now serves both subscribers and formerly vetted accounts, Twitter must manage user confusion over what the signal represents and whether it supports account authenticity.
Third-order effects
The change is a test of whether a platform can convert a trust-and-status feature into recurring subscription revenue without weakening the feature’s credibility.
If platforms increasingly charge for identity signals, verification is likely to become a more explicit product tier rather than a public-interest account-authentication function, increasing friction when unwanted Blue badges appear on prominent accounts.
The trend: This is one data point in social platforms’ shift toward monetizing visibility, status, and account features that were previously granted through editorial or institutional review.
I'm sorry but this is just the funniest shit ever. — These losers were mad that celebs had checkmarks and they didn't. Now they can buy the same checkmark and they're mad that the celebs won't.
Since today is the blue check apocalypse, here's a new research paper on Twitter's paid account “verification.” What we learned: 1) Most people don't understand what blue checks now mean. 2) Paid accounts are disproportionately crypto bros, Elon stans, new, and conservative. http…
Hollywood celebrities are showing exactly who they are right now - arrogant elitist snobs worth $200 million dollars who won't pay $8 because they think they're better than everyone else.
NEW: Have confirmed that LeBron, who has 52 million followers and has said he won't pay for verification, was emailed by a Twitter employee with the offer to have his sub comped “on behalf of Elon Musk.” James did not accept but his account is showing that he paid anyway.
paid bluechecks with 10 followers running celebrities off the platform for simply choosing not to pay. the business genius strikes again. https://twitter.com/...
If you're a business executive or an entertainer who makes money from your persona in some way, $8 a month for twitter is objectively the greatest bargain in the world. If you get 1 new fan a year or a new customer every decade it pays for itself many times over.
It's very funny that for years these nerds wanted to get checkmarks and also wanted celebrities to lose their checkmarks. Now that their wishes have been granted they're unhappy because only nerds have checkmarks. https://twitter.com/...
So Musk quietly removed the “Russia state-affiliated media” label from all the Russian propaganda accounts. I suspected he would do that at some point, and it became pretty clear when he labeled CBC “69% government-funded.” The whole point was to turn the label into a joke. https…
It really is something to behold, the Blue Check is now the perfect way to identify and block every toxic piece of shit that resides on this site! Thank you @elonmusk https://twitter.com/...
Over the years I've thoroughly enjoyed connecting with you all on Twitter. Sadly, the platform is changing so I have decided to delete my account. You all can still connect with me on my other social media platforms here: https://masonmount.komi.io/ Take care, Mason ✌🏻
But u don't need a checkmark to make $$ from ur persona, that's the point. Musk's latest changes only show that, once again, tech founders fundamentally don't understand the value of online creators. The platform should be paying its big creators, not the other way around! https:…
An account posing as Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - which are currently battling the Sudanese army in a major power struggle - tweeted that its leader, Hemedti, had been killed. Although the account is fake, it has a blue checkmark https://www.bbc.com/...
If you're a business that makes money from monetizing the content creation of business executives or entertainers, charging them $8 a month is objectively one of the worst strategic decisions in the world. If you get (got!) 2 US mDAUs, or 5 global ones, it pays for itself. https:…
Just looked up the tweets and all the blue tick replies appear first under any tweet, meaning that a reader must now wade through a swamp of dullness before anyone says anything funny or interesting. So I guess that's conversation killed on here as well https://twitter.com/...
Bye, Twitter. 🥺 The tipping point was having to pay for verification, when we feel we add a lot of value. We also feel solidarity with NPR, and share concerns about Twitter's direction. You can find us on the blog and TikTok. If we join another platform, we'll send word here. 🫡
Deleting the original blue checks makes it easy for the first time to see what proportion of users pay for them. Of the 723 accounts I follow, 136 have paid, 28 are either verified organizations or associated with one, and 559 have neither.
actually, looks like when removing legacy verified blue checkmarks...Twitter accidentally removed *all* state-affiliated, government-funded, & public-funded media tags on every account not just RT...NPR, PBS, BBC, CBC...none of them have it anymore lol https://twitter.com/... htt…
If you're angry that I gave a giant asshole $8 so I could get an “edit tweet” button, holy shit are you going to be furious when you find out where the fossil fuels that heat my house come from. Shopping your way out of monopoly capitalism is a fool's errand. You are not an... ht…
Losing money, cried about being bullied on here, rocket exploded, AND he's become a paypig to celebs who don't want to pay for twitter blue. It can't get any funnier than this (it will). https://twitter.com/...
It's a dark time on Twitter, as some of the biggest celebs are gettin' stripped of their precious blue checkmarks ... but despite Elon Musk ditching the legacy verifications, there are still some big names handing the bird its monthly fee to keep it going. https://www.tmz.com/...
As Elon nukes legacy checkmarks today, Twitter is saying some celebs, including @KingJames, are paying for verification even though they aren't https://www.theverge.com/...
It's obvious removing the verified user feature will allow disinformation to spread more easily. It's unlikely Musk doesn't understand this - I don't think he's stupid, this has to be his intention. Looking forward to what Fake Pope has to say, however. https://www.bbc.com/...
It is funny the language around verification has changed so that verified = “paid for Blue and verified their phone number” which obvs isn't identity verification at all. It means you have $8 and a phone. https://twitter.com/...
So long blue check. It was nice to have the ability to defend myself from harassment via impersonation. But who cares about Internet safety & verified authenticity. Buying a blue badge won't stop impersonation since anyone can do it. https://twitter.com/...
Interestingly all the “China-state affiliated media” tags seem to have disappeared from Twitter alongside the legacy blue badges. https://twitter.com/...
The #BlueCheckMark is gone which means now it's easier to identify the trolls & maga lunatics. No sane person would pay for Twitter blue & give $$ to a greedy billionaire. The verified badge is now the new red MAGA hat. Boycott Twitter Blue Legacy forever 🖕 https://twitter.com/..…
SCOOP: Elon Musk is no longer removing legacy blue checks, but instead will require all users to post at least one tweet a week discussing a quality of his they admire in order to maintain active accounts on the platform.
Tweeted that @Tesla doesn't have a checkmark. Apparently it has a gold one. But they are no longer appearing on Tweetdeck because... well just because.
lol everyone lost their ticks but mine is still here because i “pay for blue” even tho i have never done such a thing!!! ...please, i'd pay to delete this shame https://twitter.com/...
incredible business strategy, getting some of the most well-known people on earth to publicly state that they're not paying for your product and that you're lying when you tell people they are https://twitter.com/...
Say what you will about Elon, he's always thinking a step ahead. For instance, he made sure to jack up the price of the Twitter API before turning the blue check into a mark of shame, so now no one can easily build a tool that lets you autoblock all the Twitter Blue subscribers.
The only implication of the blue checkmark issue that matters is that it will contribute immensely to online deception. That's literally the only thing anyone should be talking about, yet it's not at all what anyone is talking about. Egos are amazing things.
It's gonna be fun constantly checking usernames and follower counts when there's breaking news and you need to make sure the person tweeting it is legit
I love the people whose blue checks are accidentally still on their profiles for whatever snafu reason and are therefore desperately trying to explain/plea that they didn't pay for it
Looks like the verification blue ticks have all gone now. I am not a Twitter Blue subscriber so you are just going to have to take my word for it that I am who I say I am. It's worked so far!
Even your verified section of your notifications still works like before. At least for now. What a half-assed job. If he was smart, he'll just be hiding the mark because when it's revealed to be a massive fuck up he'd then be able to reverse the decision. Don't hold your breath
Ok it's official if someone has a blue check now they're likely a white nationalist with 30 followers and if they don't they're a journalist or halle berry or something
Say whatever you want about Elon Musk, if his actions on this site can get more of us to spend less time on this site and more time doing real activities in the physical world, that's a net-good.
And I'm starless! But for real, this website let me connect with reporters and friends and sources and an audience and reliable information during breaking news. I'm grateful for it. I'm hopeful that someone will make the next thing that does that. https://twitter.com/...
- Why should I join your social network? - It's not enriching one of the richest men in the world by charging you for basic functionality. - I'm intrigued. Tell me more.
The new blue checks don't comprehend that the emblem is doing a speed run of what happened to “Britney” as a baby name. It was a sophisticated, high end name in 1980 - and it got a trailer park connotation when low income families started embracing it. https://twitter.com/...
While I'm not surprised that Donald Trump didn't pay @elonmusk to be @verified as a @TwitterBlue subscriber, I am surprised that @Twitter chose to unverifying @realDonaldTrump instead of giving him a grey check, as it has many personal/campaign accounts of Members of Congress. ht…
The logical outcome is that nobody even semi famous now wants to pay for a blue check because it would expose them for the type of people who pay for a blue check. https://twitter.com/...
So from now on a blue tick signifies someone who is paying to get more attention (among other benefits). It will be interesting to see if that generates LESS engagement from others as a result of a cringe effect.
I'll just leave this here for the memories and the LOLs! Yes I used to be #legacyverified... No, I'm not paying for the stupid #bluecheckmark :) https://twitter.com/...
For the record, I got my check from Mudge during a period when scammers were doing crazy impersonations of everyone, including (weirdly) professors like me. It wasn't there to establish how cool I am (although I am cool!) but to protect people from getting scammed.
in one fell swoop a blue check went from generally meaning a verified celeb, brand, CEO, politician, journalist, academic etc. to almost exclusively crypto/AI/ponzi/attention economy scammers
Farewell, genuine blue checkmark next to my genuine profile. And remember: in a system where people pay for an indicator of identity, you can't trust that it means anything. I would be happy to subscribe to Twitter for extra features, as long as it *didn't* sell checkmarks.
Goodbye, blue checkmark Though I don't really give a fuck You were a useful tool to prove to folks That I wasn't just some schmuck And it seems to me that Elon Musk It's making Twitter even worse Never knowing who to placate from the alt-rightiverse
That was fast: @twitter unverified the @USCPSC. Ridiculous, & embarrassing. (Also, hilarious: give this staffer a raise.) Every US government agency should be @verified through @Digital_Gov https://open.gsa.gov/... & have a label in April 2023. Unverifying US gov't is unwise. htt…
Twitter is a shit show now and not worth paying for in my opinion. I'm still here because I think it remains the best way to reach the most people and access the most information, but I'm tired of all the “HAHA 69% 420 YOLO!” decision making.
I will verify your Twitter profile if you send me $20 on Cash app and have a 15 second zoom in which I make you answer one inane and utterly unpredictable question with your face fully visible. For this, I will send you an individually numbered postcard. In the mail.
It is really funny that Elon Musk managed to destroy the value of the checkmark specifically so he could sell it. It now means absolutely nothing. It doesn't verify anything. It isn't notable. I'm honestly impressed he worked out how to delete the legacy ones too
Sort of true — Twitter has verified status built into tweets themselves, so when you search for legacy verified tweets, you only see old ones. (Congrats to @nmsonline for the final ever legacy verified tweet) https://twitter.com/search https://twitter.com/...
Will taking financial advise from people with blue checkmarks make you lose money? Yes Will taking advice from people without blue checkmarks make you lose money? Also yes
I would like to reiterate that I subscribed to Twitter Blue for testing purposes just so I can document features that are paywalled And I'll no longer do so when I move on from digging features for good.
oh, it's gone. FINALLY. Now I can tell you, Roberto Baldwin was eaten by an alligator 8 years ago. I'm just a dude that found his name and password on a piece of discarded candy wrapper near the incident. But now, I am finally free.