Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the Twitter Blue monthly subscription fee will increase to 8 dollars, and will include a blue verified account badge as one of its benefits.
“Twitter’s current lords and peasants system for determining who has and doesn’t have a blue checkmark sucks”, Musk wrote. “Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.”
This is an increase in the price of Twitter Blue from the current $4.99 per month, which is already up from its previous monthly fee of $2.99 earlier this year.
Musk first pitched the idea of an $8 monthly fee in a tweet addressed to Stephen King, who criticized Twitter’s proposed $20 starting fee.
Musk also stated that verified status is not the only advantage which will soon be available with a Twitter Blue subscription.
Accounts that subscribe to Twitter Blue also they will see half of the ads, they will be able to post longer videos and audios, and their tweets will be prioritized in replies, mentions and polls.
Musk is installing a class system where the voices of those who pay are amplified over those who don’t.
Previously, Twitter verification was free and granted only to “notable” accounts in the public interest, such as those owned by “person[s] or prominently registered trademarks ». This helped to combat misinformation.
The ability to purchase verified status would render this tool useless, allowing any user to impersonate anyone with Twitter’s seal of approval. Musk is aware of this issue but is apparently not concerned as he believes the forgery is already taking place. “frequently”.