X handing out free blue checks to accounts with 2,500 or more paying followers

The website formerly known as Twitter has started giving blue checkmarks to people with a certain threshold of followers who pay for its premium subscription.

Twitter/X owner Elon Musk tweeted back in March that accounts with more than 2,500 paying followers will get Premium features for free, while those with more than 5,000 paying subscribers will get Premium+ for free. That change appears to be rolling out now, with several people posting complaining about suddenly having a blue checkmark.

based on all the confused tweets i’m seeing, it looks like Twitter / X is starting to really ramp up the roll out of this now

if you suddenly have a blue checkmark even though you’re not paying for one, this is why: pic.twitter.com/T1XaBEeGgn

— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) April 3, 2024

And it’s not just blue checkmarks. Accounts that meet the requirements are getting all the Premium or Premium+ features too, which includes things like having their content and replies amplified on the platform.

While this isn’t the first time X users got free blue checkmarks, the requirements are notably less stringent. Previously, certain people with large follower numbers got blue checkmarks and Musk even personally paid for Premium for some celebrities and power users. If you’re wondering why the sudden change of heart, you’re not alone.

Engadget suggests X might be trying to correct for a decline in good and/or trustworthy content. Before Musk acquired the platform and drastically changed it, Twitter was a hotspot for sharing news. But that reputation has declined post-Musk (no thanks to Musk’s anti-journalist attitude) and many have abandoned the platform. Couple that with how paying subscribers get amplified, and suddenly, anyone with a handful of followers can get their posts about some weird crypto grift boosted into view.

So, Engadget thinks that the new free Premium feature is a way to get good posts from popular accounts that don’t subscribe amplified back into prominence. It’s a plausible explanation, though I’m not sure if it’s right.

i am become bluecheck, promoter of shibacoin

— Katie Notopoulos (@katienotopoulos) April 3, 2024

Whatever the reason, people receiving free blue checks aren’t exactly pleased. The blue checkmark has largely become a mark of shame, so much so that X added the ability to hide the blue check so subscribers can avoid being mocked on the platform. It’s leaving some newly-minted blue check holders wondering how to opt out of having it, showing just how far the once-coveted symbol has fallen.

Source: Engadget