Status: 04/03/2023 1:13 p.m
Twitter has further devalued the verification tick function. It is no longer possible to check whether it is a free account from a prominent user or the new paid subscription without real verification.
With the next innovation in its verification symbols, Twitter has further devalued the usefulness of the once helpful symbols. The difference between the ticks previously given to celebrity users after verification and the new pay symbols without real verification has been completely blurred.
Many do not want to pay a subscription
Twitter owner Elon Musk recently announced that the previous symbols will be removed from April 1st. Many well-known users such as basketball star LeBron James have made it clear in the past few days that they will not subscribe to keep the white tick on a blue background in their profiles.
Many previously verified accounts still had the icon – but the explanatory text was aligned to both types of ticks. Previously, when users clicked on the symbol, they were shown whether it was once given away for free or was now purchased with a subscription payment. Now all ticks state that the account either has a subscription or was previously verified.
Dispute with the “New York Times”
An exception was the profile of the “New York Times”, which has not had a verification tick since the weekend. A Twitter user had previously pointed out to Musk that the newspaper had announced that it would not pay for a subscription with the symbol. “Ok, let’s take it away then,” Musk replied.
He then attacked the newspaper in more tweets. Among other things, he wrote that the “New York Times” spreads “propaganda that is not even interesting”. He called the newspaper’s tweets “diarrhea”. Meanwhile, other major US media had announced that they would not pay for the symbol. Her ticks were still there today.
950 euros basic fee for companies
Musk bought Twitter for around $44 billion last October. After the advertising revenue collapsed, Musk relied more on subscription revenue.
The subscription costs eight euros per month for one user. Companies and organizations have to pay a monthly basic fee of 950 euros plus 50 euros for each linked account for a golden yellow verification symbol.