Figures like the Pope, Trump or Beyoncé lost the “blue seal” on Twitter on Thursday, after the social network led by Elon Musk fulfilled its promise and removed the badge of those who refused to pay.
The social network went through a change this Thursday, with accounts losing this distinctive feature acquired in the past, after verifying the user’s identity and under certain conditions, including prominence.
The “seal” has disappeared from countless personalities such as Justin Bieber, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bill Gates or Lady Gaga, but also from many journalists, teachers or activists.
Even “@jack,” Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s account, saw the “blue seal” removed.
In the political sector, too, many rulers lost it, while others received a ‘grey seal’, reserved for government accounts or certain organizations.
The “Blue Seal” now signals users paying $8 a month to get that award and other “Twitter Blue” benefits (more visibility, technical privileges, or fewer ads).
Among them are Donald Trump Junior or the Dalai Lama.
“I know I’m going to be judged for having the blue seal, but what a pity, I need the button to edit my tweets,” emphasized this social network Marques Brownlee, content creator followed by 6 million users.
Many other figures expressed their astonishment, such as ‘bestselling author’ Stephen King, followed by 7 million people.
“My Twitter account says I subscribed to Twitter Blue. This is incorrect. My Twitter account says I provided a phone number [para autenticação]. This is not correct,” the writer emphasized on the platform on Thursday.
Stephen King had already expressed his outrage in November, pointing out that it should be the social network that pays the writer to ‘tweet’.
The date was not chosen at random: April 20, pronounced 4/20 in English and is a reference to cannabis in the United States. And the owner of Tesla and SpaceX likes to joke around on the subject, to the point that he bought the platform for $54.20 per share.
Elon Musk had to try several times to launch Twitter Blue, a decision that drew and generated criticism.
According to the multimillionaire, the subscription should also make it possible to combat fake profiles and automated accounts and diversify revenue, at a time when many brands have fled the platform.
Between November and January, half of Twitter’s top 30 advertisers stopped buying ad space, according to the Pathmatics platform.
Brands are hesitant to invest in a platform “where chaos, random change and uncertainty reign,” Insider Intelligence’s Jasmine Enberg stated last week.
“The ‘blue seal’ is no longer a guarantee of credibility,” he recalls, as anyone can pay for it.
Source: DN
