Elon Musk Charging for Twitter Verification Is Good for Free Speech—And Angering All the Right People | Opinion
NewsweekNov 02, 2022
On Monday, Twitter officially relaunched its paid subscription service that paused last month after the platform was flooded with users violating the blue checkmark verification feature to impersonate famous brands and public figures.
Called "Twitter Blue," the paid subscription service offers verified status to users for $8 a month, or now $11 per month for Apple devices.
Twitter's new offering will undoubtedly help the social media platform diversify its revenue stream, reduce its reliance on advertising, and cut down on trolls, impersonations, and fraud. In addition, Twitter Blue adds premium value to a user's account; at $8 or $11 a month, it's a bargain for the content.
Musk initially mocked Twitter's "lords and peasants" blue tick system, but now he's charging a fee and legitimizing it. Musk claims he's redirecting more "power to the people." Unfortunately, his tone-deaf move is further dividing Twitter between the haves and the have-nots.