After the users of Twitter, those of the Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) will be able to wear a blue badge that guarantees their authenticity and better promote their messages for a dozen dollars a month.
The paid subscription was presented on Sunday by the head of the Californian group, Mark Zuckerberg, after defending for almost 20 years an economic model based on free services and advertising.
– Two speeds –
Meta Verified subscribers will be able to verify their Facebook and Instagram accounts by presenting an official identity card, then sporting a "blue badge" It shows that they are the person they say they are.
Your account will also be better protected against the risk of identity theft.
In case of problems, subscribers can go directly to employees of customer service.
And your messages, photos and videos will be promoted above others, appearing among the first search results, comments and recommendations.
Meta also promises new creative features.
The subscription will first be available in Australia and New Zealand this week, and then it will roll out to other places, starting with the United States.
It will cost $11.99 (11.22 euros) per month for users who purchase it online, and $14.99 for those who subscribe through mobile applications (to offset the commission from Apple or Google).
– Influencers –
Subscription is optional and the platforms will remain free. Interested users must be over 18 years of age and it will not be available to companies, although Meta does not exclude including them in the future.
The new offer is aimed above all at content creators.
Meta explained to AFP that it conceived Meta Verified based on the demands it received from rising creators.
But for the expert Carolina Milanesi, the formula lacks coherence by offering functions that respond to the needs of different types of users: authentication for official organizations and personalities, promotion for influencers, security that should "apply for all".
"I’m not sure there’s enough stuff for each of the categories of people to justify the expense"said.
– Income –
Meta’s strategy arises when historical social networks see their number of users grow and their revenues fall.
In 2022, the group’s advertising revenue fell for the first time since it went public in 2012.
Inflation eats away at advertisers’ budgets, users’ attention is divided among the many applications and these can no longer collect as much personal data as before the intervention of authorities (particularly European ones) and Apple to better protect privacy. private life of users.
The battle between platforms then moves to the side of the creators "that produce content that captivates the public’s attention"explains Milanesi.
But it’s not enough.
Snapchat, Reddit or Discord offer access to additional tools for a few dollars a month.
Twitter, acquired by Elon Musk last year, confusingly launched its subscription "Blue" for $7 a month online, or $11 on iPhone.
Blue allows you to have the famous blue badge that guarantees authenticity, better promote your messages, see twice less advertising and have more freedom when writing longer tweets, among other functions.
"In my opinion, Meta is going to try above all to diversify its sources of income. Twitter was launched and the others say they are going to try it too"says Milanesi.