SOCIAL MEDIA
Which celebrities’ subscription to Twitter Blue is Elon Musk paying for? Stephen King, Lebron James...
Changes to Twitter’s verification policy has left people like Cristiano Ronaldo without verfication, but Elon Musk has paid for some himself.
Elon Musk has said he’s “personally” paying for Twitter Blue subscriptions, the new verification system, for a number of celebrities who have declined to pay.
At present, it is known that Musk has paid for Stephen King, Lebron James, and William Shatner to retain their verification. All three had made public their dislike of the new verification system.
“Welp guess my blue tick will be gone soon cause if you know me, I ain’t paying the 5,” Lebron James had said.
Stephen King was similarly confused with his verification.
Musk replied by saying “namaste.”
An $8 monthly fee was introduced last year with the promise that old verified accounts would lose their old blue ticks, which was completed last week.
Twitter verification was important because it helped users to easily identify legitimate accounts, particularly for high-profile individuals, organisations, and businesses. However, the change to Twitter blue opens up a limbo where many celebrities are likely to see their accounts imitated.
Twitter blue has had an uncertain beginning since its introduction in November. A botched launch in November allowed anyone to look like a legacy-verified account.
Who has lost their blue tick?
In a change of policy, any user who does not pay for Twitter blue no longer has a check mark. This includes big names like Bill Gates, Kim Kardashian, and even the Pope.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Beyoncé are two other huge names that are not verified. It certianly looks very strange after being on Twitter for more than ten years.