Explainer: What Does Twitter Blue Mean For Us?
For the last few days, Twitter has been among the top discussions as soon as Elon Musk took over as the company owner and CEO.
Twitter has become the centre of discussion as it is going to become a charged social media platform. Bestselling writer Stephen King had also objected to this as earlier the charge was supposed to be USD 20 for blue ticks. Musk replied to his tweet saying, "We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers." After a strong criticism regarding the charge, Musk announced about USD 8 per month for Twitter Blue Tick.
However, as per some media reports, Twitter is delaying account verification for its paid Twitter Blue subscription plan until after the US midterm elections.
What is a blue tick?
Introduced in 2009, the blue tick depicted official accounts. Readers on the site could use the Twitter verification system to distinguish genuine notable Twitter account holders, such as celebrities and organisations, from impersonators or parodies.
Twitter has taken steps to ensure that the account represents the entity it claims to represent by showing a blue checkmark against its name. Twitter does not endorse verified accounts or imply that tweets from verified accounts are necessarily accurate or true.
In the public view, a verified status signifies social importance. It is a coveted status symbol to which users aspire, largely because Twitter's approval process had made it difficult to obtain.
Historically, the blue tick has been controversial. Twitter stopped its verification process in 2017 after receiving widespread criticism for verifying white supremacists.
The Twitter Safety team itself acknowledged in 2017 that there is a fundamental mismatch between what Twitter wants its blue tick to mean and how the public perceives it.
Difference between Twitter Blue and Blue Tick
Twitter Blue offers a checkmark, previously used to validate VIP accounts, with more features coming soon. As with celebrities, businesses and politicians people already follow, Twitter Blue will offer a blue checkmark. Those who are most engaged on Twitter have access to exclusive premium features through Twitter Blue.
Making a fresh announcement, Twitter’s early stage products executive, Esther Crawford said that feature will make a clear distinction between Twitter Blue subscribers with blue checkmarks from accounts that are verified as official.
Crawford clarified that while Twitter Blue subscribers will undoubtedly get the blue checkmark but they will not be verified unlike accounts with ‘official’ label.
“The new Twitter Blue does not include ID verification – it’s an opt-in, paid subscription that offers a blue checkmark and access to select features. We’ll continue to experiment with ways to differentiate between account types,” she said via a tweet.
Twitter Blue subscribers have been deprived of ad-free articles. Musk, now in the spotlight, has changed his profile bio to "Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator." Musk's blue tick plan combines verification with some of the perks that Twitter offers its Blue subscribers - though the latter costs less.
Users get premium features like undo/edit tweets, bookmark folders, custom themes, interfaces, and ad-free articles for USD 4.99 (Rs 413) with Twitter Blue. However a report claims, by the end of October 31, ad-free articles would be gone. Except for the Blue Tick, Musk's new plan offers similar premium features to Twitter Blue.
Benefits of taking a subscription
People using Twitter with a blue badge can get several benefits:
According to Musk, due to this subscription, Twitter's revenue will increase and at the same time content creators will also get rewards.
When is it coming to India, what will be the charge?
As told by Elon Musk, users will be charged USD 8 i.e. about Rs 660 per month. But he also said that, this fee will be different for every country.
Therefore, it is not clear to say how much it will be charged in India, but if OTT or other platforms are compared with other countries, then it is less visible in India. In such a situation, experts are assuming that it may be that this fee of Twitter (about Rs 660 a month) can be further reduced in India. However, this will be clear only when Indian users will be informed about the subscription fee from Twitter.
So, will you buy a subscription to Twitter Blue Tick?
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