… Government, companies, celebrities and public figures face increased budgets
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE– Government, companies, celebrities, public figures and other verified Twitter users might now have to pay for the badge.
This is according to breaking reports, which have broken the internet today, saying the Twitter verified badge may soon cost US$20 (E367) per month. Meaning an entity or person that is verified would have to pay Twitter E4 404 per annum.
Reporting on the matter, the Forbes online publication reported that verified users on Twitter may soon have to pay to retain their blue tick badges, as the company’s new owner, Elon Musk, looked for new ways to monetise the social media platform.
“In a characteristic vague tweet, Musk on Sunday said the ‘whole verification process’ was being revamped, without providing any details. Earlier on Sunday, journalist Casey Newton first reported that Musk is planning to charge verified accounts by pay walling the feature behind the subscription service Twitter Blue which presently costs US$4.99 (E91.50) a month.
“According to the report, Musk wants the feature to launch by November 7, 2022 and the team working on it has been warned they will be fired if they fail to meet that deadline. It is unclear how this change will apply to verified accounts of government institutions, political leaders or companies, although Musk has previously indicated he wants to charge these entities to use Twitter,” read Forbes.
When sought for comment, Social Media Specialist Bertha Sithole said she was not privy to the information, stating that she would do her research and give back detailed analysis on the impact of the news.
According to Wikipedia, introduced in June 2009, the Twitter verification system provides the site’s readers with a means to distinguish genuine notable account holders, such as celebrities and organisations, from impostors or parodies. A blue check mark displayed against an account name indicates that Twitter has taken steps to ensure that the account is actually owned by the person or organization that it is claimed to represent. The check mark does not imply endorsement from Twitter, and does not mean that tweets from a verified account are necessarily accurate or truthful in any way. People with verified accounts on Twitter are often colloquially referred to as ‘blue checks’ on social media and by reporters.
