Billionaire business magnate Elon Musk has now taken over Twitter, but not everyone is too happy about his controversial plans to shake things up on the social media platform. Following Musk's £38 billion ($44 billion) takeover last week, rumours began circulating that he now intends to start charging verified Twitter users as much as £17.33 ($20) each month to keep their blue tick status.
Many verified users have balked at the idea of paying a relatively steep fee for something they've previously enjoyed for free, with a number vowing to quit Twitter altogether if such a policy comes to pass. Others have expressed concerns about the wider implications of such a change, which they believe would increase the risk of imitation, scams, and misinformation.
Iconic horror novelist Stephen King was among those who came out in strong opposition, tweeting: "$20 a month to keep my blue check? F*** that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, I’m gone like Enron."
Although some fellow users argued that the author could 'well afford it', King stated that it was the 'principle' for him above all else, and not about the price tag.
Despite this clarification, in a bizarre turn of events, Musk could be seen appearing to haggle with King, replying: "We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?"
The SpaceX CEO then went on to argue that this measure was 'the only way to defeat the bots & trolls', promising to 'explain the rationale in longer form before this is implemented'. As things currently stand, people are far from convinced.
Financial journalist Martin Lewis has also spoken out vehemently against this proposal on Twitter, writing: "Having campaigned against PAID-FOR scam ads for years, I'm concerned at rumours Twitter will turn the verified #blueTick into a paid-for option. Scammers, shysters, criminals are likely to be happy to pay for, and manipulate this, for a veneer of legitimacy."
Others feel the payment would also make blue ticks automatically less desirable, with author Nick Tyrone arguing: "The Elon Musk $20 a month for a blue tick idea is one that is so bad, it has the power to destroy Twitter on its own. One, attaching a monetary value to the blue tick destroys its desirability completely. It's like giving out Olympic gold medals to the highest bidder.
Various people have come forward to remind Musk that the blue tick verification process was never intended as a means of making a profit, and was actually first introduced in 2009 to prevent lawsuits. This change followed the case of St Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who filed a lawsuit against Twitter after he was impersonated on the platform.
Astrophysicist and author Katie Mack tweeted: "The point of Twitter verification is that for certain individuals/organizations it’s useful to be able to verify their statements are coming from them. (This is why so many journalists/reporters are verified.) It’s supposed to help combat disinformation, not be a status symbol."
Meanwhile, legendary comedian, actor and writer Kathy Burke declared: “Musk can f*** off with his idea of charging blue-tickers. I give my all to this hell site for FREE. Cheeky b**** should be paying ME. Don’t need the poxy thing anyway. He may take our vibes but he’ll never take our memedom!”
In response to someone who described such verification markers as 'elitist', Burke added that she's 'always seen it as just a way of proving it’s the real person and not a parody'.
Others have highlighted the stark disparity this would create between those who can and cannot afford the new subscription fee, with a blue tick status not necessarily equating to wealth.
Ukraine-based freelance journalist Liz Cookman tweeted: "As a freelancer, there is no way I can justify $20 a month to retain blue tick verification and I suspect it’s the same for verified users outside affluent Western countries. This will just create a system that marks only rich people as trustworthy."
Do you have thoughts on Elon Musk's proposed plans? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com