Twitter will issue a new verification token to replace the verified token they already used but can no longer use to verify their respective identities as it will now be used to identify Twitter Blue followers who will pay $8 for verification. Sounds like a short story? Yes, you are not the only one. It is thanks to the chaos that the social network is experiencing after the purchase by Elon Musk.
So while you can now pay $8 to verify next to your name, Twitter will now place another verification symbol for official accounts, including government accounts, companies, businesses, the media, and some public figures. To add even more confusion to the situation, if you were previously verified, you will not necessarily receive this new official confirmation symbol.
The changes were posted by Esther Crawford. The new verified symbol, which literally confirms the verified one, appears just below the name, indicating that this is an official account. Come on, there’s a human check to make sure you’re not interacting with a fake account.
Do you find this absolutely ridiculous? Trust me, it’s not just you. Twitter has literally unveiled a new verification system that does the exact same thing as the blue verification mark before it was killed by Elon Musk.
When he decided that anyone could get a blue test token for $8 a month, he argued that it was a system that spawned two classes: warlords and peasants, and that it gave power to everyone in exchange for a monthly subscription.
Twitter account verification chaos was Musk
The Twitter account verification stamp lost its meaning when Elon Musk announced that anyone could get one by paying $8. If everyone can be tested, then no one is really being tested.
The pre-Musk verification system was a manual process that ensured that the account you were interacting with was not a spoof or fake identity. It works well not only for services such as banks, famous people or companies, but also for politicians, journalists and communicators. When you see the blue seal, you know that the information comes from a real source.
But now anyone can get a verified symbol, spread fake news, and even impersonate someone else. This is what Elon Musk ran into over the weekend and got him so pissed off that he started blocking verified accounts that were changing their name to impersonate him, even if it was a joke and a mockery.
An ironic move, given that after buying Twitter, Musk himself stated that comedy is now “legal on Twitter.” It is also noteworthy that this decision to moderate content was made consciously by Musk, although a few days earlier he had announced that no major changes in this plan would be made before the formation of a council consisting of people with different points of view.
For now, Twitter has delayed the launch of a new $8 payment plan that provides a verified symbol until the midterm elections in the United States. They fear that it will be abused and used to spread fake news. Maybe they should listen to themselves and understand that testing someone for $8 a month is a terrible idea.
Source: Hiper Textual
