Twitter used to be the least inclusive place on earth. No one could be anyone without that silly blue checkmark that Twitter said was for “verification.” If verification was what they were after, it shouldn’t have taken more than a driver’s license or some form of ID to verify you for your blue check. But that’s not how any of it worked. The only people who got verified on Twitter were celebrities (that Twitter verification teams liked) and journalists who worked for mainstream news. According to old Twitter policy, any journalist was supposed to be verified if they were attached to a media company. I tried more than ten times to be verified, since I met those requirements, and was turned down every single time with no explanation. Meanwhile, every “journalist” at the Huffington Post or Vice had a blue check.
It became very clear very quickly that verification was just like a sorority for the politically “cool kids” with all the right opinions (that conveniently only Democrats share). After the Twitter Files dropped, we saw the proof that Twitter was being run by political ideologues pushing one narrative only.
Related: Twitter Quietly Drops Its Rule Against Calling a Man a Man If He’s Mentally Ill and Deluded
The best thing Elon Musk did when he took over Twitter was to do away with the arbitrary blue check for selected people. Instead, you pay $8 a month and you get verified if you want it. The old ruling class of Twitter who were given those verification marks for nothing are not happy, now that anyone with $8 can have a blue check just like them. The celebrity meltdowns happening now that Twitter has removed the verification from anyone who has not paid the money have been absolutely hilarious. The following video made me shoot water through my nose. (Put your drink down before watching.)
For just $8 dollars a month, only 27 cents a day, you’ll help rescue celebrities from @elonmusk.
pic.twitter.com/H0AT18A5on— intheMatrixxx (@intheMatrixxx) April 22, 2023
Bette Midler appears to have ponied up the $8 since she tweeted this earlier in the week: “Elon took my blue check away! I’m unverified! After all these years and thousands of tweets and free content, this worm has the nerve to de-certify me!”
Elon took my blue check away! I’m unverified! After all these years and thousands of tweets and free content, this worm has the nerve to de-certify me!
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) April 20, 2023
I’m not sure what content Midler thinks she creates on Twitter that anyone likes. Most of it is vile political hatred toward Republicans. Famed meme maker Carpe Donktum, who was banned on the old Twitter, decided to raise money for the impoverished celebrity. He set up a GoFundMe called “Help a Witch Get Verified” for exactly $8 and raised it in record time. GoFundMe, the company that never gets the joke, took it down.
HUGE UPDATE
After just a few minutes we have already raised the 8 dollars that @BetteMidler couldn’t raise in 2 months!
Thank you @Marsupial_Gamer for the generous donation!
Any further donations will go to charity. pic.twitter.com/Wvv3jkt6VN
— Carpe Donktum🔹 (@CarpeDonktum) April 21, 2023
Alyssa Milano got in on the elitist whining (though she too now has that check mark back, which strongly suggests she paid for it. Others are saying Musk bought verification for the loudest whiners to offset a #BlockTheBlue effort to block anyone with blue checks, which sprang up at the same time as the celebrity whining.) Milano cried that without her check mark, anyone could impersonate her. Users fact-checked her tweet with a community note with the information that impersonating someone is still against Twitter’s rules. Parody accounts can operate as long as they clearly state they are parody accounts.
So by revoking my blue check mark because I wouldn’t pay some arbitrary fee, someone can just be me and say a bunch of bullshit. Does that mean Twitter and @elonmusk are liable for defamation or identity theft or fraud?
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) April 20, 2023
Charlie Sheen demanded his free check mark back as well, while insulting Musk.
I feel your pain
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2023
It’s strange that a man who publicly brags about buying hookers and drugs can’t afford an $8 fee. His check mark was reinstated shortly after, and he thanked Musk for it. Personally, I don’t think Musk should give these celebrities anything, but it’s possible he’s doing what he does best which is trolling. With #BlockTheBlue taking off and trending, it could have been a smart way to stop the movement. But wealthy celebrities shouldn’t be given any perks, IMO.
check mate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2023
Twitter Daily News reported that it was an orchestrated move to stop #BlockTheBlue and it worked.
NEWS: Twitter trolls the “Block The Blue” movement by giving their biggest proponents Twitter Blue. pic.twitter.com/lpgeTE3giN
— T(w)itter Daily News (@TitterDaily) April 22, 2023
The hilarity all of this caused was pretty fun. One post claimed to be a letter from a child that said, “Dear Elon Musk, Celebrities are the most important natural resource and they deserve their blue checks back. #EarthDay.”
Our 8 year-old daughter just handed me this letter and asked me to mail it to Elon Musk.
Even the kids get it. 🥹❤️ #ProudMom #EarthDay pic.twitter.com/55lcX5N5L4— 🫃🏼💉🇺🇦Hollaria Briden, Esq. (@HollyBriden) April 22, 2023
But perhaps the most important thing about the equalization of the verification process is not the right of everyone to be verified like celebrities, but the right of independent journalists to be verified along with journalists at the New York Times. This is the diversity, equity, and inclusion of thought we’ve all been needing. The gatekeepers at Twitter before Musk made sure that independent journalists’ voices were squelched and journalists without blue checks were disregarded, even though many of us break news. Without that check mark, the legacy media could simply ignore the story. Now, the blue check means nothing other than you paid $8 to get it and there is no hierarchy. The playing field is now totally leveled on Twitter for news-breaking.
Not only that, but Musk is exposing the Big Media journos for what they are: liars. If you haven’t seen this full interview, you should. It’s fantastic. Musk takes apart the BBC’s gotcha questions in a live interview and he destroys the narrative that Big Media is always selling. He shows them for the liars they are. They’re not special, they don’t deserve to be a protected class, and they’re lazy, unprepared, and totally undeserving of anyone’s respect.
Musk has done so much to expose the true nature of Big Media journalism today. The new Twitter is better than the old Twitter in hundreds of ways. I’m grateful Musk decided to take a bath and buy it for us. That was a nice gift. Maybe I’ll pony up $8 for a blue check soon.
WATCH: In this clip, which was edited out of the interview, #Twitter CEO #ElonMusk grills #BBC journalist James Clayton on his experience regarding #hatespeech on the platform, and calls him a liar. Clayton deflects #Musk‘s questions and moves on without answering them. pic.twitter.com/iil3f71zY0
— Statecraft (@statecraftdaily) April 13, 2023