In a move that has been anticipated since Elon Musk took over as the new owner of Twitter, the social media platform has officially removed the legacy blue checkmarks that were once reserved for public figures. Instead, Twitter has introduced a new paid verification program called Twitter Blue, which allows anyone to sign up for verification at a monthly cost of $8.
As a result, journalists, celebrities, and other notable users who choose not to pay for the verification service have lost the familiar blue checkmark next to their handles on the app. Only users who subscribe to Twitter Blue now have the privilege of displaying the coveted blue checkmark.
Musk had previously announced his plans to remove the old checkmarks and replace them with the paid verification program, citing the need for increased subscription revenue to drive future growth for the platform. Last month, Musk tweeted that Twitter’s advertising revenue had declined by 50% between October and March.
Initially, Musk had given verified users some additional time to decide whether to subscribe to Twitter Blue. Currently, only about 1% of Twitter’s users have opted for the paid verification program, despite the platform boasting over 500 million monthly users, as stated by Musk.
The introduction of Twitter Blue and the removal of legacy blue checkmarks mark a significant change in Twitter’s approach to verification, allowing users to pay for the privilege rather than being limited to public figures. This move by Musk, as the new owner of Twitter, is expected to impact the dynamics of verification on the platform and shape its revenue generation strategy in the future.
