Twitter’s Blue Tick: A Matter Of Credibility Or Just A Premium Service!

It seems that Mr Musk has fastened his belts to remain in the headlines the maximum number of times in a month. Every now and then, we get some unique news related to Twitter head. This time the subject revolves around the coveted blue tick.

Following Twitter CEO Elon Musk‘s assault on legacy blue badges, numerous famous people have been left without the prized indicator of legitimacy, which is only available through paid membership. This time, it’s happening for real. Twitter stripped the coveted blue tick from high-profile users who did not pay the monthly costs of $8 (about Rs 660). Recently, a lot of Indian celebrities realised a missing verified cheque after failing to pay the monthly cost to preserve the blue tick.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has been urging people through his public account for the last several months to subscribe to Twitter Blue if they want to keep the verified symbol on their profile. Over the last few years, the Twitter blue tick has assisted users in identifying and differentiating genuine accounts from imposters.

The pricing system for Blue Tick.

Folks who wanted to maintain their blue tick had to pay $8/month to Twitter Blue, whilst businesses that wanted to preserve their verified badge had to pay the price starting at $1,000/month (more than Rs 82K), plus $50/month (roughly Rs 4,100) for each affiliate or employee account. Twitter provides gold checks for “verified organisations” and grey checks for government agencies and their affiliates.

Indian Celebrities have lost their confirmed blue badges.

• Shah Rukh Khan.
• Amitabh Bachchan. 
• Priyanka Chopra.
• Deepika Padukone. 
• Alia Bhatt.
• Anushka Sharma. 

Twitter’s adjustment impacted India executives as well. All members of the billionaires’ club who lost their blue ticks are following.

• Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra.
• Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.
• Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani. 
• Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Chairman Uday Kotak.

Sports celebrities who are involved in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have also neglected to pay their monthly fees. 

The latest Twitter adjustments have a global impact on high-profile users and International celebrities.

• Beyonce.
• Oprah Winfrey.
• Former US President Donald Trump.
• Pope Francis.

Apart from celebrities, politicians like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were also missing the blue tick.

Many government entities, charities, and public-service accounts worldwide were no longer authenticated. The abrupt decision generated fears that the microblogging platform might lose its reputation as a source of reliable, up-to-date information, even in crises.

Certain celebrities still retain their coveted blue badges.

• Taylor Swift.
• Rihanna.
• Cardi B.
• Ryan Reynolds.
• Chris Hemsworth.
• Miley Cyrus.
• Britney Spears.
• Snoop Dogg.
• Jimmy Fallon.

The reaction from celebrities who still retain their blue tick was divided, with some voicing their disapproval and others appearing unconcerned. Several celebs rushed to Twitter to voice their displeasure with Twitter’s blue tick removal.

• Comedian Quinta Brunson declared she would never use the platform again. 
• Author Roxane Gay tweeted, “Nah,” expressing her displeasure with the action. 
• The actor Jeffrey Wright joked that Twitter might erase the app from his phone and toss it in a river.

Disclosure.

However, comedian and writer Mike Drucker voiced satirical approval for Twitter’s change, noting that it would be easier to determine who to ban. Twitter’s blue tick removal has elicited conflicting reactions from celebs and Twitterati alike. While some see it as an essential measure to maintain the platform’s authenticity and legitimacy, others see it as a way to discriminate against smaller accounts and those who cannot afford the premium Twitter Blue membership. However, it is unclear how Twitter’s blue tick culling will influence the site and its users in the long run.