Twitter CEO Elon Musk has been handing out free checkmarks like candy in recent days, after the billionaire swore to remove the “legacy” checkmarks people acquired before he bought the company in October 2022. But even though Musk is handing them out for nothing, that doesn’t mean the celebrities actually want them. Perhaps surprisingly, the checkmark has become a mark of shame for many on the social media platform.

“Friends told me my blue verified check was restored. Dont know why. I’ve paid nothing. I gave no number. @StephenKing reported same,” Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander tweeted on Saturday.

Alexander went on to explain that the only reason his account is still active on Twitter is so that someone doesn’t steal his name and try to impersonate him.

“My account remains so no one steals the account name. And I can tell you this madness hasn’t happened on Insta or Spoutible,” Alexander continued, referring to competing social media platforms.

Another person who was “gifted” a checkmark by Musk, horror author Stephen King, has also said he doesn’t want the blue check. King even floated the idea that Musk should give the cost of his checkmark to a charity supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

“I think Mr. Musk should give my blue check to charity. I recommend the Prytula Foundation, which provides lifesaving services in Ukraine. It’s only $8, so perhaps Mr. Musk could add a bit more,” King tweeted on Saturday.

Basketball star LeBron James, who also received his “gift” checkmark “on behalf of Elon Musk,” according to the Verge, doesn’t want the gift—yet another data point for how poisonous the little digital symbol has become.

Why do these celebrities not like their “gifts”? Probably because the checkmark has become associated with people who pay for what they see purely as a status symbol. And a number of prominent neo-Nazi and white supremacist accounts have been buying blue checkmarks to boost their messages to a larger audience, an association that no reasonable person wants.

Previously, Twitter launched its verification program simply as a way to combat impersonator accounts. Baseball legend Tony La Russa filed a lawsuit against the company back in 2009 over an impersonator, leading to the roll-out of Twitter’s “Verfied” program. But Twitter doesn’t actually verify anyone’s identity anymore under Musk’s leadership. All …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Author: Aaron