Pooh poohed for selling out, purchasers of Twitter’s blue tick debate why they did it, and what it’s doing for them
Meghnad S, Priyanka Lahiri, Aaryansh Singh and Tara Deshpande
Till a year ago, Priyanka Lahiri, a 43-year-old nutrition and fitness coach from Bengaluru, would watch influencers talk about fitness and enjoy massive reach on Twitter, despite the fact that their content didn’t reflect their knowledge. Lahiri’s tweets, on the other hand, would receive modest traction although she had undergone an inspiring transformation, having lost 27 kg. Obese, pre-diabetic and struggling with hypothyroidism is how she remembers herself back in her 20s. At 43, she sports a sculpted physique as sustained strength training and diet control show results. “The difference between them and me was small and blue,” says the now certified fitness coach. “I didn’t meet Twitter’s standards back then. So, when Twitter announced that the blue tick was on sale, I jumped to buy one.”
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Earlier this month, the micro-blogging platform’s CEO Elon Musk removed all blue ticks from legacy accounts. He introduced a new and controversial system that offered the prized checkmark to those who subscribe to Twitter Blue, an exclusive service that costs R900 a month for iOS and Android users and Rs 650 on web.
Musk being Musk, kicked off more controversy when he restored the tick for close to one million users, including celebrities. But not every big name benefitted. Last week, Amitabh Bachchan announced that his blue tick had been restored only after he paid for the service.
The decision has evoked mixed reactions from Twitterati, with some condemning the “capitalist” move and others welcoming the “equal” opportunity. There are, of course, those who boast that they bought it simply because they can.
For Lahiri, the tick brings longer character limits, longer videos and the option to edit tweets. “Most of my clientele comes to me from Twitter,” she says, “and going by the kind of income it has generated, the subscription charge is a justifiable investment. I now have followers whose own follower base is larger than mine, and I no longer have to make threads [series of interlinked tweets] while posting detailed content. There is, of course, the fear that people might not take me seriously because I have paid for a blue tick, but it can’t be helped.”
The additional features available to Twitter Blue users are proving to be useful for most, if not all, subscribers. Aaryansh Singh, 23, is a data scientist by profession and poet by passion. The paid blue tick has given his writing a wider platform. “As someone who values the opportunity to connect with other writers and share my work, it was a necessary investment in my online presence and professional reputation,” Singh says, adding that the increased character limit lets him post poetry without interruption. Besides, which writer wouldn’t love an edit option?
Even those who had the legacy blue tick are finding the paid version a better option for the same reasons. Meghnad S, creative director at IVM Podcasts, was contacted by Twitter in the initial days of the verification initiative, and offered a blue tick. The 33-year-old former journalist and author tweets about public policy.
Twitter was keen to verify his profile since his tweets were garnering visibility and were credible.
Meghnad’s decision to buy the verification was driven by a look at the Twitter algorithm, which was made open source. “The algorithm showed that Twitter Blue subscribers would get an artificial boost. This is something that [CEO Elon] Musk has said repeatedly. My own analytics confirm that there is a spike in engagement. I use Twitter more than any other platform, and if it lets me monetise my follower base, that’s a good thing.”
Actress Tara Deshpande, who was a legacy blue tick holder, bought the subscription out of curiousity. “I was unsure about the new pay policy. I felt the blue tick would lose its elusive value if anyone could get it for a price. But I was also curious how the decision would play out and whether it would be worth it,”
says Deshpande.
None of the Twitter Blue users that mid-day spoke with said they regretted their decision. “I am aware that it has become an issue of pride,” Meghnad chuckles. “Twitter Blue subscribers are being called Elon Musk supporters. But this is a misdirected emotion. I have benefitted from it and plan to continue using it.”
Besides, Singh argues, a blue tick, paid or not, helps differentiate between a legitimate account and bot, which is an added layer of credibility. As Deshpande puts it, “Musk has turned us into customers rather than passive participants. The moment you pay, you have rights as a consumer. Time will tell if his short term profit will lead to long-term gain.”
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