Tumblr Spoofs Twitter’s Verification Woes with ‘Important Blue Checkmarks’
Twitter Blue #TwitterBlue
Twitter Blue is wreaking havoc online, and other social media platforms have taken notice.
Just one week after new owner Elon Musk laid off half of Twitter’s staff, the platform’s most recent experiment has sparked yet another firestorm of misinformation, this time caused by misidentification.
According to Twitter, Twitter Blue is a social media subscription service intended to elevate “quality conversations” and allow paying users access to unreleased, or limited features like the ability to edit tweets.
At $7.99 per month, Twitter Blue also provides paying users with a blue checkmark on their profile—mimicking the platform’s longstanding verification checkmark used by celebrities, journalists and other people of note to confirm their official profiles.
However, where checkmarks previously separated official accounts from bots and other fake profiles, Twitter Blue checkmarks have allowed for users to mimic celebrities and journalists without easily being found out as fraudulent.
Shoddy verification checkmarks have dominated online discourse since Twitter Blue debuted on November 9 and earlier today, Tumblr threw its own hat in the ring—taking numerous, not-so-subtle shots at Twitter in the process.
In a November 10 announcement sarcastically titled, “You can never be too important on the internet,” Tumblr staff announced that users can now purchase multiple checkmarks at a time.
“We’re introducing Important Blue Internet Checkmarks here on Tumblr,” the post reads.
“They’re a steal at $7.99—that’s cheaper than some other places, when you consider that you get not one but TWO checkmarks for your blog,” the tongue-in-cheek post continues. “Why, you ask? Why not? Nothing matters!”
By following a link aptly labeled “Get yours here!” users are then directed to a checkout page, which makes it abundantly clear that checkmarks, by themselves, are inherently valueless.
“This is not a verification status,” the page reads. “It’s an Important Blue Internet Checkmark, which in 2022 is just as legit.”
Despite a quickly-scrapped plan by Musk to include other verification tags on previously-verified Twitter pages, and a new policy banning Twitter accounts made on or after November 9 from subscribing to Twitter Blue, the last week’s worth of events has led many users to question the platform’s future.
What Is Twitter Blue? Elon Musk’s New Controversial Initiative
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And with Meta, whose umbrella covers Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, facing issues of its own, many Twitter users have considered vacating the platform in hopes of finding greener pastures elsewhere.
However, while rumblings of a Tumblr renaissance have grown louder over the past few days, Musk remains outwardly confident.
“I love when people complain about Twitter…on Twitter,” Musk tweeted on Thursday, tacking on a pair of crying-laughing emojis.
“Usage of Twitter continues to rise,” he wrote in another tweet. “One thing is for sure: it isn’t boring!”
Musk, whose Twitter bio currently reads: “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator,” also admitted that the next few months will be rocky for Twitter users and staff members, but assured that upcoming trials and tribulations will all have a purpose.
“Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months,” Musk tweeted on Wednesday.
“We will keep what works [and] change what doesn’t,” he added.
Newsweek reached out to Tumblr for comment.
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