After facing widespread negative criticism for his plan to charge Twitter users $20 a month to get or keep their blue checkmark badge, Elon Musk has indicated that a verified account on Twitter could cost $8 monthly in the future.
Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk, in a tweet, described the current Twitter subscription system as “bullshit”. He also added that the price will be adjusted by “country proportionate to purchasing power parity”.
Furthermore, in the Twitter thread, Musk said that subscribers to the new Blue service will get priority in replies, mentions and search, the ability to post long videos and audios, but will have to deal with half as many ads as free users.
The world’s richest person also offered publishers “willing to work” with Twitter a paywall bypass.
While the blue checkmark badge is a symbol that determines which accounts are authentic and which are not, in particular for brands and celebrities. If Elon Musk’s Twitter is really going to charge its users $8 a month to be verified, there are concerns that it would become harder to determine the real brands and celebrities from the fake ones.