Mark of Shame: Elon Musk’s Twitter/X Lets Paying Users Hide Checkmark

Elon Musk Twitter X
CHRIS DELMAS/Getty
Lucas Nolan

Twitter’s subscription service, Twitter Blue, is undergoing a transformation into X Blue, and with this change comes a new feature that allows subscribers to hide the notorious blue checkmark on their profiles. Although Elon Musk’s plan for profitability was initially based on the masses of Twitter users paying for to have a verification badge, it quickly become the subject of mockery.

The Verge reports that Twitter Blue, the company’s paid subscription service, is changing to X Blue based on Elon Musk’s haphazard rebranding of his social media company. In a clear sign that his plan to cash in on paid subscriptions has not gone according to plan, Musk will also let users hide the infamous blue checkmark from view on their profiles.

“The checkmark will be hidden on your profile and posts,” notes a Twitter support article, adding a caveat that “The checkmark may still appear in some places and some features could still reveal you have an active subscription. Some features may not be available while your checkmark is hidden.”

This new feature offers a solution to the recent chaos that erupted when Twitter allowed anyone to be “verified” through a Blue subscription. The move led to a proliferation of fake accounts and confusion over who was genuinely verified. Twitter subsequently removed blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts and changed how they were displayed multiple times.

Many users also ridiculed accounts featuring the blue checkmark with memes about paying for the platform:

Now, Twitter Blue subscribers have the option to add or hide a blue checkmark on their profile, complete with a “verified since” date. Legacy verified accounts will include the date an account was originally verified on Twitter before the Blue subscription system.

The rebranding of Twitter Blue to X Blue is part of a broader vision by Twitter owner Elon Musk. He aims to create an “everything app” that could include some form of a payments system in the future. This transformation was symbolized last week when the little blue bird that has long represented Twitter was replaced with an “interim” X logo, even appearing as a massive flashing X sign atop Twitter’s San Francisco office building.

The transition to X Blue is still in progress, with references to both X and Twitter Blue appearing on the subscription page. The full scope of Musk’s vision for the rebranded service remains to be seen, but the introduction of the hide blue checkmark option is a significant step in this evolving platform.

Read more at the Verge here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan

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