Twitter removed the blue check mark from non-Twitter Blue accounts on Thursday and it generated some hilarious responses. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
A new era on Twitter
Twitter removed the distinctive blue checkmark from older verified accounts that weren’t opted-in to Twitter Blue Thursday.
Twitter Verified confirmed the news Wednesday afternoon. The whole process went through a long time ago and has sparked jokes from certain accounts and fear from others.
Amid the mess of old account “resets” that leave Twitter users unable to tell if they’re looking at a verified source or a fraud, there has been some overwhelming backlash. There is something poetic about finding beauty in the madness, even if that madness is removing a small tag from an app owned by a Dogecoin-obsessed creator.
responses to change
Many Twitter users opposed removing the blue check mark from older accounts due to the uncertainty it causes. Now, users can no longer tell if they are looking for a reputable source when scrolling through their timelines.
There’s also concern that the new world without a checkmark (for non-Twttier blue subscribers) could work with the rise of artificial intelligence to create more confusion. Deepfakes and other tools have been able to produce audio and video of people acting out pre-written scripts that appear to be actual snapshots of their real-life model.
Working with the rise of artificial intelligence to create more confusion
One of the biggest celebrities in the world, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, said last month that he wouldn’t sign up for Twitter Blue to keep his confirmation (and misquoted the price, which is actually $8 per month). So when LeBron’s account still had a check mark next to it after the purge, a lot of people were confused — and totally amused.
In a bizarre twist, Elon Musk, Twitter owner and CEO, soon confirmed that he was personally paying for blue verification on the accounts of celebrities like LeBron, Stephen King, and more.
Musk’s “philanthropy” hasn’t reached every celebrity, unfortunately, and some like movie star Halle Berry are left remembering the days when their accounts had a bunch of blue pixels next to their name.
Rapper The Game also lost its checkmark, but not its wordcraft and dropped a simple response to the change.
“The check is gone, but the checks are still coming,” he said.
The future of twitter checkmark
Twitter had nearly 450 million active users in 2022, nearly 400 million more than it did in 2010. It has become a melting pot of hot topics, social movements, news, sports, politics, opinions, music, and every other topic of conversation.
Does not mean there are no other differences
Removing the checkmark from old accounts solidifies the rift between the old system (led by co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey) and the new one. But just because the blue checkmark is available to anyone willing to pay $8 a month doesn’t mean there aren’t other differences.
A golden check mark, for example, next to a square avatar (profile photo) indicates that the page belongs to a business verified by verified organizations on Twitter. Nike, Apple, and Amazon are examples of accounts marked with a gold checkmark.
A gray checkmark means that the account belongs to a multilateral government organization or person. The White House and President Joe Biden are notable for a gray check mark on their pages.
There are also affiliation badges that can be attached to an account. These accounts have a small picture of their affiliation on their page and can also have one of three checkmark colors. Musk says these badges help reduce impersonation (an affiliation badge example is given below).
Twitter is also testing automated account ratings to help users determine if an account is managed by a real person or a “bot”. These ratings appear on account pages under profile names and avatars.
