Not paying 8 USD, Ronaldo and Neymar were left green by Twitter
From April 20, Twitter began removing green ticks on the personal pages of thousands of stars, celebrities, politicians and journalists. Previously, a green tick meant that Twitter had verified the account holder’s identity and it was considered an icon on the social network. However, under Elon Musk, anyone can apply for a green check, as long as it costs $8 per month. It comes with perks like having a more prominent position when chatting on Twitter.
Screenshot of Ronaldo and Neymar’s Twitter accounts on April 20.
Musk himself has repeatedly expressed his displeasure with the old authentication system, calling it “bullshit”, “corrupt”, “lords and peasants”.
Musk claims anyone who doesn’t pay will go missing green. Initially, the new boss of Twitter wanted to collect $ 20 from users, but had to lower the price due to objections. Some users noticed that their green ticks are no longer available today, however, others see the green tick “hidden, popped up”, according to New York Times.
The change of “blue bird” received mixed opinions. Many stars complain that the new system will increase the risk of being impersonated because their identities are no longer authenticated. In November 2022, an account impersonating drug company Eli Lilly posted fake news that sent the stock plummeting.
Some celebrities say they won’t use Twitter anymore, while others refuse to pay, like basketball star LeBron James. Even so, James’s account has not gone missing. Musk said he will pay for a number of accounts with his own pocket money to keep the green tick, including James.
According to Mashable, not many users subscribe to the Twitter Blue plan. Only about 600,000 of the platform’s 250 million users have paid. For those with pre-existing green grants, the number is even lower. To date, less than 5% of the 420,000 previously verified accounts have chosen to spend $8.
Among the paid subscription stars, most are singers and artists such as Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears; actors such as Ryan Reynolds, Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman; tennis player Novak Djokovic. The Twitter accounts of two famous players Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr are no longer green.
New York Times said that, in addition to charging individual users, Twitter also wants to charge $ 1,000 monthly fee for organizations with gold, with a few exceptions. Those exceptions are the top 500 advertisers on Twitter and the 10,000 most followed institutional accounts.
(According to NYT, Mashable)