After going through a lot of discussions on the amount to charge for Twitter Blue subscription and facing a backlash for first hinting at charging $20, microblogging site Twitter’s new chief Elon Musk has confirmed that users will have to pay $8 for Twitter verification.
Shutting all those who were still complaining about the price, he responded, “To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8.”
The decision came after Musk responded to an objection by American author Stephen King on the price. While announcing the price, the Twitter chief tweeted, “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.
Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit.
Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
More features for Twitter’s blue tick subscribers
Musk also clarified that the price would be according to purchasing power, “Price adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity,” he wrote. He has given more “power” to the users of Twitter Blue subscription who will not only have a blue tick, a mark of verifying authentic accounts, but also more features.
You will also get:
– Priority in replies, mentions & search, which is essential to defeat spam/scam
– Ability to post long video & audio
– Half as many ads— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
Till now users verified their profiles with a blue tick after filling out a short online application form. Usually, the Twitter blue tick was given to those whose authenticity could be harmed like, politicians, journalists, and celebrities.
The company brought the provision in 2009 after a lawsuit was filed against it for not being able to prevent fake accounts. Musk’s takeover was essentially done to remove all scams and make the platform transparent. However, he is posed with the huge challenge of overhauling the business that saw no profit in many years. By charging a fee from blue tick account holders, Musk has plans to reduce dependence on advertising.
Advertisers pull off from Twitter
General Motors, a competitor of Elon Musk’s Tesla electric car startup, announced last week that it will stop running ads on the website. While they wait to see how Mr. Musk’s changes turn out, some other well-known companies have temporarily stopped running advertisements on the platform in a more covert manner.
