Elon Musk's Twitter Purge Leaves High-Profile Accounts Confused
In a surprise move, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, has scrapped his plan to "wind down" verified blue check marks on the social media platform. Instead, he single-outed the New York Times' main account from his list of high-profile users that were expected to lose their coveted blue badges. The news comes as a blow to legacy blue check holders, who woke up to find that their verification marks had been appended with a new label reading: “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.”
The move appears to be part of Musk's ongoing campaign against "legacy" blue checks, which he has been threatening to take away since taking over the platform last fall. However, experts warn that the new labeling system could risk making it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users.
In a tweet announcing the change, Musk said: “Oh ok, we’ll take it off then,” after the New York Times' main account lost its blue check mark over the weekend. The billionaire had previously expressed frustration with the outlet's coverage, calling it "boring and propaganda."
The change has sparked confusion among Twitter users, who are now left wondering whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue. Prominent users such as actor William Shatner and anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky had pushed back against the idea of paying for a feature that keeps them safe from impersonation.
By muddying the reason accounts are verified, Musk's new labeling system could drive revenue, which could help him pay off significant debt after buying Twitter for $44 billion. However, experts question whether reserving verification for paid users will reduce the number of bots on the site, an issue Musk has raised on and off over the past year.
The move is just the latest example of Twitter creating confusion and whiplash for users over feature changes. As Musk continues to guide decisions about the platform more by whims than by policy, it remains to be seen how this change will affect user engagement and trust in the platform.
In a surprise move, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, has scrapped his plan to "wind down" verified blue check marks on the social media platform. Instead, he single-outed the New York Times' main account from his list of high-profile users that were expected to lose their coveted blue badges. The news comes as a blow to legacy blue check holders, who woke up to find that their verification marks had been appended with a new label reading: “This account is verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.”
The move appears to be part of Musk's ongoing campaign against "legacy" blue checks, which he has been threatening to take away since taking over the platform last fall. However, experts warn that the new labeling system could risk making it easier for people to scam or impersonate high-profile users.
In a tweet announcing the change, Musk said: “Oh ok, we’ll take it off then,” after the New York Times' main account lost its blue check mark over the weekend. The billionaire had previously expressed frustration with the outlet's coverage, calling it "boring and propaganda."
The change has sparked confusion among Twitter users, who are now left wondering whether verified accounts are notable individuals or simply users who have paid to join Twitter Blue. Prominent users such as actor William Shatner and anti-bullying activist Monica Lewinsky had pushed back against the idea of paying for a feature that keeps them safe from impersonation.
By muddying the reason accounts are verified, Musk's new labeling system could drive revenue, which could help him pay off significant debt after buying Twitter for $44 billion. However, experts question whether reserving verification for paid users will reduce the number of bots on the site, an issue Musk has raised on and off over the past year.
The move is just the latest example of Twitter creating confusion and whiplash for users over feature changes. As Musk continues to guide decisions about the platform more by whims than by policy, it remains to be seen how this change will affect user engagement and trust in the platform.
I'm so confused rn! Like, what's up with Elon Musk and Twitter? One minute he says blue checks are for notable people, next thing you know, anyone who pays for Twitter Blue gets one too. This new labeling system is super sketchy 
- it could totally enable bots to impersonate high-profile users. And what about legacy blue check holders who had their badges taken away? It's like, Musk is just messing with us at this point 
. On the other hand, maybe this change will drive more revenue for Twitter 
, which would be a big win for the company. But honestly, I'm not sure if it'll actually improve user engagement or trust 
. Can we please just get some clear guidelines here? My head is spinning 
.
it's all about making money for musk, right? 
Elon Musk is literally changing Twitter rules like he owns the place and honestly idk if i'm mad or relieved lol 
now my fave celeb's blue check mark is just a label 
meanwhile bots are probably just sitting there thinking "omg a freebie" 
. I mean, who does that? The New York Times account is still legit, though, so I guess that's a silver lining 
. It's crazy how some people are gonna start paying for verification just to feel safe... like, come on! Can't we just have clear rules and not have to think twice every time we interact with someone? 
It's all just so overwhelming 
Anyway, this move might actually make it easier for scammers and bots to impersonate high-profile users 
. Just another example of how Twitter's got a screw loose 
. By suddenly changing the verification process, he's created more chaos than clarity 
. The fact that high-profile accounts like the NYT are still verified but with this new label is just bizarre 
. It's almost as if Musk is trying to send a message that these accounts aren't necessarily "notable" due to their reputation, but rather because they've paid for Twitter Blue 
. I'm not sure how this will affect user engagement or trust in the platform, but I do know one thing - it's definitely made me question Musk's motives 
, can't you just make a decision already? I mean, I get it, you're trying to shake things up, but muddying the waters like this is just gonna confuse users even more...and now what's with the label thingy? It's like you're trying to nickel and dime people for being verified 
That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. And I'm all about Elon bein' a rebel and stuff, but this feels like a whole lotta confusion 
. Can't help but wonder what's goin' on in that head of his...
. It's gonna be super easy for scammers and bots to impersonate them now 
. It's like he took something cool and turned it into a joke 
Please, Twitter, for the love of your users... 
. I wonder what's next - will we get to pay for our followers too? 
. The label "verified because it’s subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account" sounds super legit, but I'm worried we're losing something genuine in the process 
!