Twitter Removes Blue Checkmarks for Non-Subscribers
Twitter made a significant policy change on Thursday by removing the blue checkmarks from accounts not subscribed to Twitter Blue. Previously, Twitter provided this verification for free to public persons, but now only Twitter Blue subscribers are entitled to the verification mark.
Twitter Blue Offers Additional Features
Twitter Blue users have access to additional features, such as the ability to edit their tweets, post content of up to 10,000 characters, and increase the visibility of their tweets through the platform’s algorithm.
However, only 0.2% of Twitter users have subscribed to Twitter Blue. In March, the subscription had around 116,000 confirmed subscribers on the web, 138% more than the previous month, according to Similarweb.
Decrease in Advertising Revenue
The number of subscribers does not produce enough revenue to offset the company’s losses due to decreased advertising on Twitter. The arrival of the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, has generated constant controversies and abrupt changes that have caused advertisers to abandon the social network.
Advertising revenue has fallen as much as 75%, according to The Washington Post. This loss of revenue has contributed to the company’s decision to make changes to its verification policy.
Corporate Policy Change
Twitter’s corporate policy change occurred on April 20, which in English is written 4/20, considered marijuana day. This has caused confusion and led some to believe it could be a joke, especially since Musk has used this date to make jokes in the past.
Public Refusal to Pay for Verification
Many users and the media refuse to pay the fee of $8 per month per employee and $1,000 per month per organization check mark, the latter in yellow. For example, The New York Times and actress Halle Berry have announced that they will not subscribe.
The change in Twitter’s verification policy has caused controversy, confusion, and even frustration among its users. Whether the policy change will contribute to an increase in revenue remains to be seen.
