Recently, Elon Musk has been focusing a lot of his attention on blue checks. From promoting them to celebrity endorsements, it seems that blue checks are now at the top of his to-do list.
Blue checks, also known as Twitter verification, are a way of verifying someone’s identity and authority on the app. When a user is given a blue check, it means that Twitter has confirmed their identity and validates their status as a real account holder. Although it may seem trivial, these small blue ticks have a huge impact on how we perceive the credibility of a user’s posts.
Unfortunately, Elon Musk’s obsession with blue checks have caused some problems. For starters, this obsession has created an environment where status and power are measured by the number of blue checks a user has, with those who don’t have any verification feeling like they can’t compete in the space. Additionally, the blue ticks are being used as badges of authority, even though they don’t necessarily mean that the account holder is knowledgeable or credible. This has led to a wave of ‘influencers’ and celebrities with lots of blue checks, but very little authoritative knowledge or information to share.
Furthermore, the urging of Twitter to behave in certain ways to gain blue checks has become a problem. Some users have felt manipulated into following certain trends or engaging with certain topics so as to increase their chances of being verified, making it more and more difficult for legitimate accounts to score a blue check and gain the respect associated with it.
In conclusion, Elon Musk’s obsession with blue checks is a verified problem and is causing more harm than good. This obsession has created an environment of ‘influencers’ and blue check addicts, as well as manipulation on Twitter in order to gain more respect and credibility. It’s clear that this way of thinking needs to change in order to make sure that legitimacy is based off of the information being shared, and not the shiny blue tick.