Twitter has rolled out a revamped Twitter Blue subscription service under the leadership of new CEO Elon Musk. The microblogging platform's subscription service is now available on iOS in India and other countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, and the UK. After the Tesla chief's $44-billion takeover, the Twitter Blue change is poised as Elon Musk's first "signature" project. As per media reports, the previous version of the Twitter Blue subscription (priced at $4.99 per month) had just a little more than 100,000 active subscribers.
For those unaware, Twitter Blue is a special subscription service that provided users with additional perks such as the ability to undo tweets (within 30 seconds), add special bookmark folders, and more. The Twitter-verified blue tick mark wasn't a part of this plan. Verification of Twitter used to be free of cost, only requiring users to submit govt-approved IDs and some further URLs and details (in some cases) to get the much-coveted blue tick badge beside their username.
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The new Twitter Blue plan, priced at $7.99 per month, has raised concerns among regular users of the platform. The latest version is supposed to give users many perks including, priority placement in replies, the ability to post longer videos, and 50 per cent fewer ads in the feed. However, the blue tick verification has also been made a part of this plan. So, new users can pay the said amount and get a blue tick badge. Additionally, already verified users who choose not to pay $7.99 will lose their verification badge within an expected period of 90 days.
This new blue tick mechanism has brought a new flock of fake handles onto the platform. Reportedly, a Twitter user impersonating NBA star LeBron James demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. Many users were fooled by the tweet because the account that posted it had a blue tick. The account was soon suspended.
Users have reported the same has been happening with other celebrities as well.
As the value of the new blue tick is being questioned, users are also sharing their concerns via hilarious memes.
Some celebrities and personalities have also tweeted about their concerns about this new service. Here is what US businessmen Mark Cuban had to say:
Rapper Doja Cat, who recently changed her account name to “Christmas” is now regretting it, as she is having a hard time changing it back. Now she is asking for Musk’s help in changing her account handle.
It remains to be seen what changes Twitter will bring to the table to sort out the seemingly backfiring revamp.