Not paying $8, Ronaldo and Neymar were unchecked by Twitter

Starting April 20, Twitter began removing the blue checkmark from the personal pages of thousands of stars, celebrities, politicians , and journalists. Previously, the blue checkmark meant that Twitter had verified the account owner’s identity and it was considered a symbol on social networks. However, under Elon Musk, anyone can register for a blue checkmark, as long as they spend $8 a month. It comes with benefits such as more prominent positions in Twitter conversations.

Screenshot of Ronaldo and Neymar's Twitter accounts on April 20.

Musk himself has repeatedly expressed his displeasure with the old authentication system, calling it “bullshit,” “corrupt,” and “lords and peasants.”

Musk has said that those who don’t pay will lose their blue ticks. The new Twitter boss initially wanted to charge users $20, but had to lower the price after receiving pushback. Some users noticed their blue ticks disappearing today, while others saw them “flickering and disappearing,” according to the New York Times .

The “bluebird” change has received mixed reviews. Many celebrities have complained that the new system will increase the risk of impersonation because their identities will no longer be verified. In November 2022, an account impersonating pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly posted fake news, causing its stock to plummet.

Some celebrities have said they will leave Twitter, while others have refused to pay, such as basketball star LeBron James. James’s account has not yet lost its blue tick, however. Musk has said he will pay some accounts out of his own pocket to keep their blue ticks, including James’s.

According to Mashable , not many people have signed up for Twitter Blue. Only about 600,000 of the platform’s 250 million users have paid. For those who have already been granted a blue check, the number is even smaller. So far, less than 5% of the 420,000 previously verified accounts have opted to spend $8.

Among the stars who have paid to sign up, most are singers and artists such as Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears; actors such as Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman; and tennis player Novak Djokovic. The Twitter accounts of two famous players Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr no longer have a blue tick.

In addition to charging individual users, Twitter plans to charge organizations with gold status a monthly fee of $1,000, with some exceptions, the New York Times reported. Those exceptions include the top 500 advertisers on Twitter and the 10,000 most-followed organizational accounts.

(According to NYT, Mashable)

Source