Today Twitter announced that starting on Monday, December 12, people can pay either $8 on Android or $11 on IOS to subscribe to “Twitter Blue” where they will get:
- the blue checkmark
- the ability to edit tweets
- prioritized appearance in replies, mentions, and search
- 50% fewer ads than non-verified people
- the ability to post longer, 1080p videos
- early access to other features
This is, of course, the re-launch of the re-launch of Twitter Blue after the disastrous recent attempt where people were quickly paying the $8 to set up all sorts of bogus and troll accounts.
Prioritization = Pay To Speak
The prioritization seems new to me. Was that in earlier versions of Twitter Blue?
I find it fascinating that so much of the messaging about Twitter has been around “free speech” and leveling the playing field… but yet that messaging seems to run into the need to figure out how to get income.
For many people in North America, Europe, or other more developed regions of the world, the $8 (or $11) per month might not be a big deal. But for people in MANY parts of the world, that may not be affordable. Will the rate be adjusted for countries where the income levels are substantially different?
How many voices will be diminished because they cannot afford this monthly subscription?
A Land of Many Checkmarks
What I found more interesting was a tweet in the thread:
The text reads:
we’ll begin replacing that “official” label with a gold checkmark for businesses, and later in the week a grey checkmark for government and multilateral accounts
And so Twitter will become a land of many checkmarks.
I don’t see anywhere info about HOW you will get those checkmarks. What is the process to get verified for those? Who will be eligible?
The Gamble Of Who Will Pay
The big question is of course - who will actually pay for this subscription? I see many Elon Musk supporters saying they will do so. But I’m not seeing many others talking about it. Particularly right now when the service seems to be in the midst of so much (mostly self-induced) chaos.
I’ve been on Twitter since 2006 and the service has been my “home” on social media. But right now, I don’t see myself paying for Twitter Blue amidst the chaos… and to be honest I don’t yet see the value in the subscription. (And also because I’m increasingly finding richer discussions over on Mastodon.)
Would you pay for Twitter Blue?
