The use of social platforms has become an integral part of modern communication. However, the rise of social media has also led to concerns about privacy, security, and authenticity on these platforms. One such concern is the verification of user accounts on social media platforms, with Twitter’s blue check marks being a particularly controversial issue.
Most recently, Twitter’s blue check marks have caused a stir after it was revealed that the platform has been giving verification badges to deceased celebrities, including Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, and Anthony Bourdain, were given the Twitter Blue subscription, causing further confusion on the social media platform under the ownership of Elon Musk.
Previously, verified accounts were meant to signify that the user was notable in some way, and Twitter had confirmed their identity. However, under the new system, the blue check mark denotes that an account has paid for it and verified their phone number – identities are not confirmed.
The cost of the blue tick ranges from $8 (7.26) a month for individual web users to a starting price of $1,000 (€908) monthly to verify an organization, plus $50 (€45.40) monthly for each affiliate or employee account. Unfortunately, this has led to increased impersonation on the platform, with some accounts getting verified without paying or confirming a phone number while others have been forcibly given the blue check mark for publicly mocking the system.
The confusion has led to a campaign to block anyone with a Twitter Blue subscription, with the hashtag #BlockTheBlue trending briefly over the weekend.
The blue checks debacle is just the latest in a series of problems at Twitter since Elon Musk bought it for $44 billion (€40 billion) last year. It remains to be seen how Twitter will address the issue and restore trust among its users.