Twitter’s blue tick costs $8 a month, Elon Musk says, giving people ‘power’ | Science and technology news

Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has announced that the platform’s coveted ‘blue tick’ will now cost users $8 (£7) a month and has slammed the current system as ‘bulls***’.

In a tweet himself, Musk said, “Twitter’s current lords and peasants system for those who may or may not have a blue tick is bulls***.

“Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.”

Musk said the cost would be “adjusted by country, proportional to purchasing power parity.”

For the new monthly fee, Musk also said users get “priority to replies, mentions, and searches,” as well as the ability to post lengthy videos and audio clips.

And he offered subscribers a paywall bypass from “publishers willing to work with us.”

Read more: Super App or “Wild West”? The future of Twitter under Elon Musk

The fee would provide the platform with a “revenue stream to reward content creators,” he said.

The blue tick next to someone’s Twitter account lets users know that a public interest account is authentic.

According to Twitter, to earn the blue badge, your account must be “authentic, notable, and active.” There is a six-step verification process.

Musk completed his last month high-profile $44bn (£38bn) buyout of social media platform, with a self-proclaimed mission to ensure everyone’s timeline becomes the ultimate home of free speech.

The announcement came after Twitter’s advertising executive Sarah Personette tweeted that she had joined a string of executives who are stepping down from the platform.

Ms Personette, who was chief customer officer, said she resigned her post and followed other colleagues out the door, including former chief executive Parag Agrawal and chief financial officer Ned Segal, whom Musk fired last week.

Hateful Content

Her resignation comes at a time when advertisers and users have been mulling over whether Musk will reverse former US President Donald Trump’s Twitter ban — potentially fueling a surge in divisive rhetoric on the platform.

Experts have already noted that hateful content has skyrocketed since Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter.

According to the Network Contagion Research Institute, which identifies “cybersocial threats,” usage of the N-word on the platform has increased by almost 500%.

Explore the future with Sky News at Big Ideas Live 2022 to learn more about science and technology.
Find out more and book tickets here