Twitter’s new owner and CEO, Elon Musk, announced this week that the social media platform will charge $8 for its premium service, called “Blue.”
The service will include a verified check mark for users who pay the monthly fee, indicating that Twitter has confirmed the account belongs to the person or company it names.
The social media platform will continue to be free for other users, however, at least for now.
Musk said Tuesday that he is hoping to boost subscriptions and reduce the platform’s reliance on advertising with the premium service, which will provide priority in replies, mentions and search functions, and enable its users to post longer videos and audios.
Those who have verified accounts will also see half as many ads as well.
Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit.
Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 1, 2022
Most politicians, community leaders and other “influencers” hold verified accounts that will now be subject to the monthly fee.
Did Musk Unblock Trump?
Unconfirmed reports said Thursday that Musk had unblocked the account of former President Donald Trump. Musk had said as early as this past May that he would restore the former president’s account if he became the owner of Twitter.
Just a month earlier, Trump said during a political rally that he would not return to Twitter even if Musk were to reverse the ban, imposed in January 2021 following the January 6 attack on the US capital by extremists who said they were supporters of the outgoing president.
“I like Elon Musk. I like him a lot. He’s an excellent individual,” Trump told CNBC’s Joe Kernen at the time, but added, “We did a lot for Twitter when I was in the White House. I was disappointed by the way I was treated by Twitter. I won’t be going back to Twitter,” Trump said.
Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, said during a TED interview that he prefers suspensions rather than permanent bans.
