Starting in April 2023, Twitter will begin the process of removing what it calls “legacy checkmarks” – the symbols of authority that have long been synonymous with online influence and credibility.
All Twitter users will now have to pay to have(or keep) their blue checkmarks, which kind of defies the whole purpose of having checkmarks.
Again, this is an obvious shortcoming of Twitter’s (and even Meta’s) verification program.
Obviously, some Twitter users will pay to keep their checkmarks. But, for how long will they continue to pay for it?
If the “checkmarks” lose their value because anyone can pay for them, wouldn’t they lose their very value?
So far, Twitter has attracted only 450,000 subscribers, which represents a mere 0.12% of the platform’s total user base.
Again, the more successful the paid verification revenue model gets, the more it loses its very point. We are yet to see the real consequences of the paid verification marks. Will it bring the revenue Twitter is hoping for? Or, would it drive users to find newer & better ways to prove their credibility? Let’s see what the future has in store.
