Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter boss Elon Musk has decided to charge $8 per month for users of the social media platform to have a blue checkmark. “This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators,” Musk explained, adding that “it is the only way to defeat the bots and trolls.” However, many Twitter users are unhappy about the announced charge.
Details and Rationale
Musk announced on Twitter Tuesday that he plans to charge $8 per month for a blue verification checkmark. The price will be “adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.” For $8 a month, users will also get “priority in replies, mentions & search, ability to post long video & audio, half as many ads,” and “paywall bypass for publishers.” Musk stressed that this gives Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators. When a user welcomed the idea, Musk replied: “Absolutely essential. Creators need to make a living!” Before settling on $8, Musk considered $20 per month, but faced backlash from users like author Stephen King. Musk argued that Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers.
Bot-Fighting and Criticism
Musk emphasized that charging is “the only way to defeat the bots and trolls.” MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor commented, “The bots won’t like this.” Musk replied, “Yes, this will destroy the bots. If a paid Blue account engages in spam/scam, that account will be suspended. This raises the cost of crime on Twitter by several orders of magnitude.” Currently, verification is free but requires accounts to be “authentic, notable and active.” Many users expressed dissatisfaction. One wrote, “$8 for something that isn’t even ad-free is so funny.” Another noted, “Charge for something that was previously free.” Philip Lewis, senior front page editor at Huffpost, opined: “A blue check has been perceived as a status symbol… but it’s just supposed to tell you if a page is authentic.”