Ever since the SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired Twitter, he has announced several changes to the micro-blogging platform. From the reported Twitter layoffs to the paid Twitter blue tick, the billionaire has surprised everyone with the complete overhaul that he has in mind. Out of all the announcements made since the $44 billion deal was clinched, the decision to monetise the blue tick has arguably generated most noise on the popular platform. Users have raised several doubts regarding the plan to make the account verification process a paid service.
Musk has clarified from the beginning that he wants his new acquisition to ‘make money.’ As such, his proposals are aimed at moving away from the present revenue model that is heavily dependent on advertisements. Regarding the account verification process, he stated that users will have to pay $8 a month and subscribe to the blue tick. From his recent tweets, it seems that Musk is confident that this move will complement the “power to the people” narrative that he used to describe his Twitter acquisition.
This is an attempt to clarify the frequently asked questions that users have regarding the monetisation of the blue tick. Please note that the answers shared below are as per the currently available information and may change as and when the official guidelines are released.
What Is Twitter Blue Tick?
A Twitter blue tick is understood as official recognition of an ‘authentic’ account. The micro-blogging platform’s help page elaborates, “The blue Verified badge on Twitter lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic. To receive the blue badge, your account must be authentic, notable, and active.” Usually, celebrities, politicians, journalists etc., get the Twitter blue tick after applying for the same.
How Much Will The Blue Tick Cost in India?
Self-proclaimed 'Chief Twit' Elon Musk has fixed the Twitter verification cost at $8 per month while adding that the price will be adjusted on purchasing power parity (PPP) with the US dollar. This means that the Twitter blue tick cost will vary from one country to the other, adjusted for the differences in price levels of goods and services between countries. This will ease the impact on end-users from countries whose currency is not as valuable as the US dollar.
So far, several tweets and reports can be seen circulating that attempt to speculate the new subscription cost. In India's case, the PPP is estimated to be 23.14 local currency units (LCU) per international dollars, according to the latest available World Bank data. This means that to purchase a $1-worth service, 23.14 rupees is needed. By this estimate, an $8 monthly subscription fee for the blue tick will cost around Rs 185. However, until Twitter formally launches the plan in India, the exact cost cannot be ascertained.
What Are The Perks Of The Blue Tick?
According to the details shared by Elon Musk via a tweet, a user who subscribes to the paid version can avail multiple benefits. These include — less ads, ability to post long videos and audios, and priority in replies, mentions and search in order to defeat spam/scam posts. Additionally, users who are deemed 'public figures' will get a secondary tag under their name.
Responding to a user’s query, Musk also added, “If a paid Blue account engages in spam/scam, that account will be suspended.”
Do Existing 'Verified' Users Have To Pay For The Tick?
According to multiple media reports, current users with the Twitter blue badge will also have to pay the subscription cost in order to retain their badges. In that case, there is a likelihood of the Elon Musk-led platform giving a few days' window to the current blue tick holders for subscribing to the service. If they fail to do so, they may run the risk of losing their 'verified' status. This would reportedly help Twitter in removing bots, fake accounts and so on. However, as stated earlier, this can be confirmed only once the official guidelines are released.
