Twitter's $8 blue tick verification rolled out for iOS users
What's the story
Twitter users on iOS can now get themselves verified for $7.99 per month via the Twitter Blue subscription. This service is currently available in select countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Verified users get a bevy of new features, such as posting longer videos, priority ranking for their content, and fewer and more relevant advertisements.
Goodies
What is in store for verified users?
Announcing the rollout, the company has said that verified account holders will get blue checkmarks, akin to the celebrities, companies, and politicians they follow. They would be rewarded with "half the ads," which would be "twice as relevant." Also, their content would be prioritized in replies, mentions, and searches. This would lower the visibility of "scams, spam, and bots," according to the company.
Twitter Post
Twitter Blue's Indian debut is imminent
Hopefully, less than a month
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
Identification
Blue tick is not sole way to verify public figures
New Twitter CEO Elon Musk claims there will be other ways to identify public figures apart from blue ticks. Currently, government officials have a text under their names that states they are posting from an official government account. For example, US President Joe Biden's @POTUS account has a secondary text in gray letters. It says that it belongs to a "United States government official."
History
How were users verified earlier?
Twitter's outgoing verification system was put in place in 2009 so that high-profile accounts could not be impersonated. Currently, the microblogging platform has roughly 423,000 verified accounts, many of which were verified regardless of their number of followers. The company's new owner Elon Musk described it as a "lords and peasants system" with no justification. He wants to replace it with something more tangible.
Finance
Building a new revenue stream for Twitter is necessary
Till now, Twitter was heavily reliant on advertising revenue for sustenance. However, after its acquisition by Musk, several brands, including Audi and General Motors, have put ad buys on hold as they distrust his commitment to content moderation. Meanwhile, the company is also losing over $4 million per day. In such a scenario, a revamped Twitter Blue subscription can fulfill the company's financial aspirations.