For years, the 'Blue' checkmark on the Twitter handle was a matter of prestige among users, as it was limited to celebrities, high-profile global citizens, government officers, and news reporters.
The prime reason for the awarding blue verified badge on Twitter is that it lets people know that the account is of public interest and is authentic. This way, people can follow genuine persons and get direct information from the horse's mouth. The social media platform is used to conduct thorough background of the person before it could grant the coveted blue tick beside the name.
But, soon the blue verification can be availed by anybody who is ready to pay a monthly premium.
This is one of the many changes we can expect to happen at Twitter, which just got acquired by eccentric billionaire Elon Musk, who also owns Tesla and SpaceX among many enterprises.
Soon after Elon Musk took charge of Twitter last week, several top executives including Parag Agrawal (CEO), Vijaya Gadde (legal affairs and policy chief), Ned Segal, (CFO), and Sean Edgett(General Counsel) left the company.
Musk has also set the ball rolling to form a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints at Twitter. Also, there is a plan to improve the monetisation of the social media platform.
The Verge citing a company insider has claimed that Musk has given an ultimatum to increase the Blue premium fees to $19.99 (Rs 1,647.49), almost four times the current $4.99 (approx. 411) tariff.
Previously, it should be noted that people with a blue tick mark need not have to subscribe to Blue service, but had to apply for an online form on Twitter and it was up to the company's prerogative to offer a verified badge. But, soon users just have to pay to get the recognition.
And, the existing users with blue checkmark badge will get 90 days to subscribe to Blue service or else lose them. Besides the verified badge, Twitter Blue service offers more privileges listed below.
Key services offered with Twitter Blue service:
Bookmark Folder: With this, users will be able to organise the saved tweets with custom labels so old tweets can be found in a quick time
Edit and Undo Tweet: This feature will allow Twitter users to make any changes such as removing and adding new media files, adding hashtags, tagging people and also correct wrong words (mostly by autocorrect on the keypad), and fixing spelling mistakes.
For undo tweets, users will get 60 seconds similar to Google Gmail to correct the mistakes.
Reader mode: This will re-arrange the long threads into a visually pleasing easy-to-read text document so users can read all the latest content seamlessly.
Also, with Blue subscriptions, users will be able to create a custom app icon, get to apply colourful themes for user interface with the Twitter app, and get custom navigation options too.
And, Twitter Blue users will get access to a special page to read ad-free top stories from Twitter Blue Publishers Network.
As of now, the Edit feature and ad-free articles are available in the US only. And, rest of the Blue features are available in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
With Elon at the helm of Twitter, expect more radical reforms in the company. He is said to have surrounded himself with trusted advisors from Tesla, SpaceX, and law counselors to oversee the changes in Twitter.
DH has sought a response about the reports of Twitter increasing the premium of Blue service.
Stay tuned. Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.