The new head of the short message service Elon Musk introduces the premium version of Twitter, called Blue. Paying users will receive benefits in the future.
Elon Musk has stated that the premium version of Twitter, dubbed Blue, will cost eight dollars a month and will include a verified tick for paying users’ accounts.
Tech billionaire Musk, who acquired the social network for $44 billion last week, also said those Blue users would also get priority on replies, mentions and Twitter searches, and half as many ads. They also have the ability to bypass paywalls for “publishers who want to work with us,” he said on Twitter.
Musk described Twitter Inc.’s current verification system, which ticks users and brands at risk of impersonating, as a “masters and pawns” system.
“Power to the people,” he tweeted, asking users for $8 a month. Currently, verified users pay nothing for their badges – Twitter manually assigns them to celebrity users and public figures so users know the messages are from a legitimate source.
Twitter Blue existed before Musk took over, independent of the company’s verification system. It currently costs $4.99 per month and allows users to edit their tweets, organize tweets with bookmark folders, and change Twitter’s display and design, including the app icon.