Celebrities And The New York Times Losing The Blue Check On Twitter – Does Being Verified Really Matter Anymore? | International Association of Digital Marketing Professionals (IADMP)

By Adam

A phone’s screen displays the Twitter verification checkmark in gold. … [+]Illustration taken in Krakow on February 14th, 2023. (Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

NurPhoto via Getty Images

Twitter said last week that “legacy verified” checkmarks would be removed from celebrity profiles, journalistic accounts, civil servants and others. If they wish to retain the checkmark, those users will need to subscribe to a premium Twitter account.

Already, some prominent account holders have reacted.

LeBron James of Los Angeles Lakers was blunt in his statement last week. Jason Alexander, a TV actor, has pledged that he will leave Twitter if it loses its blue check mark.

The status symbol could be lost by many people.

Twitter removed all blue check marks on Sunday The New York TimesAfter the newspaper of record stated last week that it wouldn’t pay social media platforms for verification of institutional accounts, it did so.

In a statement, Sunday’s Times reported that “We don’t intend to pay the monthly checkmark status fee for our institution Twitter accounts.” Except in exceptional cases, we will not reimburse Twitter Blue staff for their personal Twitter accounts.

The New York TimesThis is not the first time that someone refuses to pay for the check.

The Los Angeles Times, The Washington PostBuzzFeed and Politico have publicly stated that they will not pay for Twitter Blue (the fee-based service which includes blue check marks),

Elon Musk was called The New York TimesSelling subscriptions is considered “hypocritical”, even though the account’s verified owner refuses to pay.

“NY Times is being incredible hypocritical here, as they are super aggressive about forcing everyone to pay *their* subscription,” Musk tweeted on Sunday.

Revenue Stream

Keep the blue checkmark intact will cost you $8 per month for an individual user and $1,000 for an organisation. Each affiliate or employee account must be $50 each. Twitter Blue does not verify individual accounts as it did with Musk and other public figures before the acquisition.

Original purpose of blue check marks was to confirm politicians, journalists, and activists. Later, they were used to combat misinformation. An individual’s blue check marks were meant to make them credible.

Many legacy blue checks, however, aren’t at the level of LeBron or any other celebrity.

Professor Jason Mollica from American University, a professorial lecturer at the School of Communication said that verified blue check marks are meant to inform other users about who those individuals were.

As a Twitter veteran, blue check marks are a sign that someone is real. This can also be used to prove that they’re experts in the field. Mollica added that she is certain it’s not a fake account. Now, with the paid elements, it’s been reduced down to window dressing.”

A Real Life Star Bellied Sneetches

Musk ought to have known about this.

Allowing people to pay for the blue check marks almost seemed to be reminiscent of the Dr. Seuss story “The Sneetches,” where those without green stars were able pay for the …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer