When Elon Musk took over Twitter last year, one of the first changes the company made was to the Blue Check system. The Blue Check was originally put in place to correctly identify to users that someone was the person they claimed to be, whether it be a celebrity, journalist, or other person of interest. However, the Blue Check is now given to anyone that pays for Twitter Blue. That’s made the Blue Check something of a culture war on the platform, and now it’s become so toxic that Twitter actually allows users to hide the mark under the platform’s settings.
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For some users, the Blue Check used to be something aspirational; now, many Twitter users will automatically block those that have clearly paid for one. The fact of the matter is that accounts have figured out that $8 can be spent to troll other users through having their replies elevated to the top of a Tweet. Many others have also used Twitter Blue as a method of impersonating celebrities and businesses. These reasons are why many Twitter users have embraced a “Block the Blue” strategy.
The option to hide a Blue Check now is clearly meant to prevent Twitter users from blocking Blue Subscribers, as well as insulating them from anyone that would insult them for the purchase. The move is a sign just how much the Blue Check has lost its luster in the Musk era. The Blue Check was also one of the first bungled moves of Musk’s era as the owner of Twitter, as he attempted to shake down celebrities like Stephen King, demanding that they pay to remain verified. This ignored the fact that Twitter’s celebrity presence has long been a part of the platform’s appeal, and driving these users away was sure to hurt it.
Musk’s time at Twitter has seen a revolving door of changes, with the platform currently going by the name of “X,” much to the frustration of many. It remains to be seen what the next major change will be, but it probably won’t be long before the next one!
Are you frustrated by all the changes to Twitter lately? Has the change to Blue Checks been a bad one? Let us know in thecommentsor share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
