Elon Musk has made a significant reversal in one of his most infamous decisions by reintroducing blue checkmarks on the social network.
The entrepreneur and former “Chief Twit” tweeted last week about the new policy that grants “Premium” status to users with more than 2,500 “verified subscriber followings” and “Premium +” to those with over 5,000. This policy is now being implemented.
The two-tier paid service offers various benefits, including fewer ads, better placement within the site’s algorithmic curation for lower-tier users, and access to X’s “anti-wake” AI chatbot Grok, zero ads, and improved reply prioritization for higher-tier users.
The most well-known perk of both tiers is the coveted blue checkmark next to a user’s profile. Previously known as “authentication,” the checkmark was reserved for high-profile users who verified their identity. Now, it is available to anyone subscribed to the service.
After newsletter promotion
Last year, Musk’s company started removing the “legacy” checkmark to incentivize users to subscribe to Blue. However, this move negatively affected the social status of certified users within many communities. In response, the checkmark is now being reinstated for free, much to the disappointment of users who had never paid for it before.
Users like Marcy Wheeler and journalist Lauren Good expressed their frustration with the new status of the blue checkmark.
The exact number of blue checks approved and their necessity remain unclear as the social network continues under Musk’s leadership without providing comments to inquiries.
Source: www.theguardian.com
