All Twitter users know the weight of a blue check mark. It signifies the reliability of high-profile accounts, from celebrities, academics, journalists, and even government agencies.
Last April 20 though, these status symbols were no more as the platform purged these marks from accounts who’ve yet to subscribe to Twitter Blue—a paid subscription that now requires users to cough up $8 or P440 a month for that coveted blue check.
The platform-wide event elicited great ridicule from netizens, with some pointing out the dangerous obvious: impersonating a famous personality on the platform has never been easier.
Despite the risks, it seems a number of celebs have refused to adhere to Twitter’s new rule, for now at least. Included in the long list of accounts who’ve joined the rest of us are Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, K-pop groups Blackpink, Aespa, Twice, and local personalities like Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Maine Mendoza, and Vice Ganda.
In true Twitter fashion, users couldn’t help but poke fun at the whole thing.
A fan of BTS, who only recently got their verified status back, tweeted, “ARMYS!! BTS was finally able to pay for the blue check, after all the D-DAY sales…Keep buying so they can afford next month too.”
Similar sentiments were made for Aespa and Blackpink, with users calling out their respective companies for the missing tick.
Scroll below to see what others had to say about the fiasco.
It it seems celebrities and organizations, on the other hand, have come to the silent agreement that being unverified is the new cool on the platform.
According to Elon Musk, who bought Twitter last year, the change allows for a system that “treats everyone equally.” He also says that it’s a way to “eliminate spam and scam accounts.”
But experts, as per a report from CNN, beg to differ. “In fact, this is making Twitter a pay-for-play system, and we know that propagandists, people working to spread disinformation and other forms of manipulation via Twitter, are very much willing and able to finance their operations,” Sam Woolley, an author and professor at University of Texas’ School of Information, told the news platform.
What do you think about Twitter’s new verification system? Sound off in the comments below!
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