Elon Musk mulling over to make Twitter blue badge paid. Expert revealed pros & cons of revamp
Highlights:
- Twitter Blue Badge to be subscription based soon
- Pros & Cons of Paid Twitter Badge
- Who holds the verified Twitter badge?
Elon Musk is all set to revamp Twitter’s verification process. Now, Twitterati with a blue badge may have to ‘pay $20 per month’ if you want to maintain your Twitter blue tick. However, reports suggest that New Twitter owner Elon Musk is still mulling on the decision.
Twitter Blue Badge to be subscription based soon
Some tech news reports also suggest that there are also plans to increase the price of Twitter blue subscription from its already elevated $4.99 monthly cost to a whopping $19.99 (roughly ₹1600). The project could be scrapped but according to ‘Platformer’ reports, it is likely that verification will become a part of Twitter Blue.
Moreover, users who are already verified will get 90 days to subscribe to Twitter Blue to keep the blue tick on their profile. It remains unclear whether Twitter will change rules to make the verification process more strict or lenient.
Twitter Blue was launched in June 2021 as the platform’s 1st subscription service which offers “exclusive access to premium features” including edit tweets. The feature to edit tweets was made available earlier this month after Elon Musk’s insistence on using a Twitter poll in April. Musk asked his followers whether they wanted an edit button, and over 70% said Yes.
The billionaire has also requested that logged-out users visiting Twitter’s site be redirected to an explore page which shows trending tweets, the verge reported. After Musk’s takeover, the microblogging site Twitter is set for major changes.
There would be some people who are in favour of the decision, as well as some who oppose it.
Pros & Cons of Paid Twitter Badge
In search of pros and cons of monetizing a blue tick on Twitter by Elon Musk, we indulge in a brief conversation with Digital Marketing expert, Co- Founder & Brand Consultant, Social Sack Karandeep Bhatia. He drafted some pointers on the same.
On the pro side, it could be argued that monetizing a blue tick would provide more financial resources to Musk which could then be used to invest in and grow his businesses. Additionally, it could also be seen as a way to legitimize Twitter as a platform and attract more users and businesses to the site.
On the con side, some may argue that monetizing a blue tick would take away from the authenticity of Twitter and that it would be unfair to those who have not been able to purchase a blue tick. Additionally, it could also be seen as a way to exploit users by selling a service that is not essential to the use of Twitter.
“We are living in a subscription-based era. From OTT platforms to social media accounts, paying a subscription amount gives access to the new feature, and we are expecting the same from Twitter”, said Bhatia.
Who holds the verified Twitter badge?
As per the Twitter help page, the blue Verified badge on Twitter lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic. To be Verified, your account must be notable and active. Currently, anyone can apply for Twitter Verification. The platform categorizes notable accounts into different categories. These are Government, News organizations, individuals in news & journalists, Companies, brands & organizations, Entertainment, Sports & gaming, Activists & organizers and Content creators & influential individuals.
In a separate story, Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk is also planning to rejig the character limit for Twitter posts. When asked about expanding the character limit for tweets on a Twitter user, Musk said that the platform is ‘way overdue for long-form tweets.’ Musk is also reportedly planning to cut Twitter’s job force by up to 75% to reduce operational costs.
Would you be willing to pay the charges? What are your thoughts?
