Blue Tick yo-yo: Some confused, some elated
Industry experts note that the option to buy blue check on Twitter affects its credibility, but some say it will open up avenues for micro and nano influencers
On April 21, the world woke up to the news of Blue Ticks going missing. The checks vanished for legacy holders, celebrities and media organizations. From industrialists like Bill Gates, Jack Ma and Ratan Tata, to actors Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan and cricketer Virat Kohli, most celebs were in the dark.
The confusion and resentment had just peaked when some Twitterati started getting back their Ticks. According to reports, Elon Musk decided to individually pay for some users like Stephen King. “Just Shatner, LeBron and King,” he tweeted while replying to a post. Then, new news surfaced. The ticks were now appearing for everyone with more than 1 million followers.
The reactions were varied. While actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas was elated: “Woah! Dunno how but the blue tick is back. I’m Priyanka again!", author Neil Gaiman did not feel the same: “For the curious, I'm not subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't given anyone my phone number. What a sad, muddled place this has become.”
Even accounts of dead celebrities like Michael Jackson, Sushant Singh Rajput and Chadwick Bosman got their blue ticks back.
User sentiments hit
Musk’s latest strategy to drive Twitter’s revenue seems to have cost him dear. The Twitter Blue subscription, which was supposed to help identify ‘real’ accounts, has now turned into a badge that can be bought. Anyone with privilege can now buy the blue tick. This has left a section of the users in a frenzy.
Viren Razdan, Managing Director at Brand-nomics, says: “The Twitter story has had more than its share of feathers been ruffled, but now it seems to be getting murkier or should we say ‘Muskier’. The recent blue tick controversy has been nothing short of an embarrassing display of a Yo-Yo going out of control. The Blue Tick fee declaration was quickly followed by celeb blue marks emerging for creating a sense of credible following, only to be met with a flurry of quick denials by profile owners. The Blue tick has taken a badgering at the cost of Twitter losing credibility.”
Sharing similar sentiments was Shradha Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Grapes who says the sentiment among users is not very positive. “Seeing the Blue Ticks removed is supposed to spur the users into action and opt for the subscription. It’s still too early to say, but as of now, the sentiment among the average users seems to range from indifference to indecision.”
Elara Capital’s Karan Taurani believes there could have been a better way to go about Twitter Blue. “With a pay-based model, what has happened is that it's become very common and there is no uniqueness or there's no USP, or there's no other very big importance about it. They would have collected some money through users, because of the pay base mechanism, but it lost its sheen, because of high-profile celebrities losing the Blue Tick. This is why they've re-introduced the feature but for those with 1-million plus followers.
As per Taurani, the relevance of blue tick goes away “if you have common people purchasing blue ticks at Rs 900”.
The saving grace
With Twitter still being one of the largest social media platforms in the world, experts think there’s still scope for redressal.
Shradha Agarwal says the new subscription model could benefit small-scale influencers. “I believe a more pronounced adoption of the subscription model will come if our immediate peers start to opt for it or if our favourite influencers start promoting its benefits - in short, if it becomes the next “cool” thing on social media. This could definitely open up considerable opportunities for micro and nano influencers, as a blue tick will help them establish their authenticity among their followers and the brands looking to collaborate. Twitter cancelling the legacy blue ticks opens the floor for small-scale celebrities and creators, and in turn, could aid in boosting the creator economy on the platform."
As for Hareesh Tibrewala, Joint CEO of Mirum India, “I don’t think any of this is (yet) a threat for Twitter. There is no other social platform that is even close to taking the place of Twitter. For Twitter users, these knee-jerk reactions are more of an amusement, and some distraction, more than anything else. There are some publishers and celebrities who have threatened to boycott Twitter, but I feel they will all come back in good time.”
