It's been a long time coming, but here it is. Twitter will soon remove all the checkmarks of legacy accounts that are not subscribed to Twitter Blue. The company has already started with the removal as seen on some official accounts.
Elon Musk's Vision Implemented
This has always been the plan of Twitter CEO Elon Musk after making his plans for Twitter Blue known. Although it did take some time, which is understandable considering the issues within the company, it's finally happening.
Some of the legacy verified accounts are already experiencing the change. The verification logo has been disappearing from time to time every time Twitter is reloaded. It has been announced beforehand that the change would be effective by April 20th.
From now on, people will have to go through the process of Twitter Blue and pay the $8 monthly subscription to retain their verification badges. Otherwise, they'll be among the majority of users who have no checkmarks.
Musk has always been against the idea of the previous method of verification, saying that it was corrupt and a "lords and peasants system" as mentioned in The Verge. The verification badge was originally introduced to avoid impersonations.
In Musk's defense, that's also what he intends to do, he just wants to earn $8 per month for it. Now, instead of the badge being an indicator that an account holder is a person of importance, it simply means you have verified your identity and you have the means to pay for it monthly.
The old system for the checkmark is not a perfect one. Twitter has faced criticism over who it deems worthy to hold a badge, but people who earned it were proud they finally achieved verification. After the change, anyone with money to spare can get that accomplishment as well.
In fact, some accounts might slip by the process and get a verification even if they don't use their actual names or aren't the organization they claim to be. Take T(w)itter Daily News, for example. It has a verification badge yet it's a fan-controlled account.
Changes You Might Notice
Aside from the disappearing badges, you will also start to notice other changes brought by the perks that come with the Twitter Blue subscription. You may start to see fewer tweets from the accounts you usually see on your timeline.
Those who choose not to subscribe to Twitter Blue will no longer be recommended, which means that non-verified fan accounts that you may have wanted to follow will no longer find their way to your feed, as mentioned in The New York Times.
Should you look for new content on your Recommended tab, you'll find your choices very limited since only verified accounts can be seen there. So, it doesn't matter how interesting the account is or how many Likes and Retweets it gets.
It's also not a guarantee that known personalities will pay for the subscription, especially if they don't earn from Twitter anyway. For those who have been in Twitter long enough, their following is enough of an indication that their account is the real thing.
