Twitter recently announced that it will be winding down its legacy verification program, and that accounts that were verified under the previous criteria of being active, notable, and authentic will no longer retain their blue checkmark unless they are subscribed to Twitter Blue.
So, what exactly happened before?
The previous process of getting verified on Twitter involved submitting a request to Twitter for verification, along with supporting documentation to prove that the account was active, notable, and authentic. Twitter would then review the request and decide whether or not to grant the account a blue checkmark badge.
However, the process was often criticized for being opaque and inconsistent, with some accounts being verified despite not meeting the eligibility criteria, while others were denied verification even though they did meet the criteria. This led to accusations of favoritism and corruption, and contributed to the decision to wind down the legacy verification program.
What’s with Twitter Blue?
The straight forward answer is that Twitte rBlue has everything you longed for on the original Twitter, but at a cost. This includes longer tweets, without the 280 character limitation, as you can now send posts of up to 4,000 characters long.
With Blue, you can also edit a Tweet up to 5 times within 30 minutes, upload NFT Profile Pictures, and ably do 1080p video uploads.
Individuals can apply for the Twitter Blue checkmarks via this link, at a monthly cost of $10.9 on iOS and Android and around $7.8 for those paying through the web. One of the advantages of this replacement is that it will help to eliminate the corrupt and nonsensical way in which checkmarks were previously handed out.
As Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a prominent Twitter user, pointed out, the previous system was flawed, with any individual person’s Twitter account affiliated with a verified organization being automatically verified. By introducing a subscription-based service, Twitter can ensure that only those who meet its eligibility criteria can receive or retain the blue checkmark.
However, this replacement has its disadvantages as well. One of the main concerns is that it creates a two-tiered system, with those who can afford to pay for Twitter Blue receiving additional benefits, such as the blue checkmark, while those who cannot are left out. This could be seen as elitist, and could lead to a further divide between celebrities, influencers, and regular users.
Another potential issue is that the blue checkmark is an established symbol of authenticity and credibility on Twitter, and removing it could lead to confusion and mistrust among users. It is also possible that some users may see the introduction of Twitter Blue as a way for the company to generate more revenue, rather than as a way to improve the user experience.
Overall, the replacement of the legacy verification program with Twitter Blue is a significant change for Twitter, and one that will likely have both positive and negative consequences.
While it may help to eliminate the corrupt and nonsensical way in which checkmarks were previously handed out, it may also create a more elitist culture on the platform and lead to confusion among users. Only time will tell whether this new system will be successful, and whether users will be willing to pay for the additional perks offered by Twitter Blue.
