Hey Twitter, We Don’t Want Your Stinking Badges!

4 min read

Hi everyone, I’m Rick Barron, your host, and welcome to my podcast, That’s Life, I Swear

Twitter’s Blue Checkmark once symbolized status which a lot of social geeks loved. Unfortunately, as of late, it’s becoming embarrassing and just plain bullshit. 
Thank you, Elon.

Let’s jump into this 

Are Blue Checkmarks uncool now, perhaps if you’re unwilling to pay for it. On April 20th, Elon Musk kept true to his word, and started removing users blue check badges. A lot of celebrities saw their badge disappearing such as LeBron James, and Stephen King,  along with other users unless you subscribe to the Twitter Blue service, naming, paying $8 monthly and continue to wear your badge of fame.

Twitter Badges. Courtesy of: Digital Information World

Ironically, a few hours later some of the blue badges were reinstated, such as LeBron James and Stephen King, as if to imply they decided to pay the monthly fee. The jury is still out on that one, but once again, the public saw what once was a fairly running organization, now nothing but a ship without a rudder.

Business and government organizations can still apply for verified status. All of this is still subject to the impulsive nature of Musk, who has targeted newsrooms like BBC and NPR with dubious labels suggesting that they are compromised propaganda outlets. Musk’s general attitude toward journalists is harsh, and removing legacy verification remains a spiteful effort to undermine anyone who is critical of him and his enterprises.

Since Musk took over the bird gage, everything is running as predicted, a mess. The process of removing the badges was utterly chaotic. 

Twitter introduced the blue checkmark badges in 2009. As social media was making its debut with the world, various companies, like Twitter, were marketing their value-add to coax celebrities and brands onto their platforms. The blue badges reassured public figures that they would not be impersonated. This new symbol gave users credibility and the recognition served as an ego boost.

Because so many popular and well-known figures received the blue check mark badges, and many of us unknowns did not, jockeying for verification became something of a blood sport. Think of it as social media’s version of the Hunger Games. The blue check mark was a symbol of victory. Hmmm, maybe I can now get that date with Jennifer Lawrence.

There were many  guides that proliferated online ,advising users on how to gain entry to the club.

Twitter’s blue check mark was once a coveted status symbol. Some users call it “the dreaded mark” or that “stinking badge.” It wasn’t so easy to earn that badge before, but now you just have to pay a monthly fee, and walla, you have bought yourself social media status.

Why does this matter?

Is this what’s becoming of us? What’s next, a jacket you can purchase for a monthly fee, displaying the thumbs-up symbol showing how many ‘likes’ you’re getting from your followers? Now that anyone can ‘purchase’ a blue check, many users find the symbol uncool if not absurd. The icon makes its owner appear desperate for recognition now. 

Are we that vain today, that we need a blue checkmark in our life to gather attention. We got along without it before.

Twitter Blue subscribers who only received their checkmarks as a result of their subscription are not subject to a verification process. Unfortunately, that said Twitter users no longer know whether a blue checkmark represents a verified account or a newly paid one, thus the mark's value that once was, has diminished on the platform.

Your $8 subscription fee would be better spent buying a sandwich from Jersey Mike’s Subs.

Twitter Blue Services. Courtesy of: Twitter

Some things to know about Twitter Blue service and a few of its features:

1.     You have a 30-minute window to make a limited number of changes to a published Tweet. Seriously, a time limit? You can just as easily delete the tweet and do it over again, even after 30 minutes

2.     You can tweet more than 280 characters. Longer Tweets allow subscribers to Tweet up to 4,000 characters. That’s like 3 pages! The internet is about quick text messages, not reading a book

3.     You can bold and italicize text in your Tweets. Ok, cute

One thing to note, however, is that while a Twitter Blue subscription does entitle you to the various features, there are caveats. The first one is that while you have access to these extra features, not all are available on every platform. 

For example, while the Bookmark folders feature is available on all platforms (iOS, Android, and web), the custom app icons option is only available for iOS and Android, but not on the web. The custom color themes option is only available on iOS.

There are more features, so check them on the link I provided in my script.

I did a podcast in November of 2022, regarding Mastodon, as an alternative to Twitter. There appears to be another option that has come into the picture by the name of Bluesky. To join Bluesky, you need to get on the wait list or know someone who is already on and have them send you an invite.

Some celebrities and journalists have already joined.

What is Bluesky?

Bluesky. Courtesy of: Getty Images

While a lot of underlying technology makes Bluesky different from Twitter, it is very similar on its surface. Posts are short, 300 characters max. There is a “What’s hot” feed for popular posts and a “Following” feed for accounts you follow.

The app is still in development, so there is no direct messaging yet, and users can’t post videos.

In the end you have to decide if the additional perks you get through Twitter Blue, is worth the $8. Personally, I don't pay for this service as it mostly offers cosmetic features that I just don’t see the added value. The Edit Tweet feature is certainly handy, but either proofread before posting or delete the tweet and repost. Some of my friends have tried the subscription and realize thanks, but no thanks and canceled their subscription. Whether you find these perks worth $8 per month depends on your personal needs and preferences.

What can we learn from this story? What’s the take away

The blue check that once boosted people's social egos seems to have lost its air of exclusivity. The novelty is in the mud and can be added to the heap of social media trinkets and trash. 

“It’s not something that’s cool anymore, or was it made to make us think it was?

Elon, please hire someone who knows a thing or two about social media, to take over your role so you can get back to what you do know, like Telsa, and Space X.

Well, there you go. That's life, I swear.

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website, which you can find on either Apple Podcasts/iTunes or Google Podcasts, for show notes, movie info clips, and the episode transcript.

As always, I thank you for listening. 

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