Since its inception in 2006, Twitter has been more than just a regular social network. It is a place where those in power and the world’s elite can gather and talk. This disproportionate focus on politicians, journalists, and celebrities has resulted in Twitter — a relative minority with 250 million users — having a huge impact on society.
With this famous user base came problems. In June 2009, the social media platform introduced a verification system in response to a lawsuit brought against the company by Major League Baseball player Tony La Russa, who was the victim of a Twitter impersonator. Official, verified identities are marked with a blue checkmark next to their name.
It worked well until Elon Musk took over Twitter in October 2022 and everything changed.
Musk said that on April 20, he would remove the blue checkmarks — the universal sign of a verified Twitter account — from anyone who hasn’t paid for a Twitter Blue subscription. The goal seemed to be to squeeze money out of Twitter’s user base.
That date has already passed, and while most accounts have lost proof of their connection to the person they claim to be, some have not.
Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan was tested, but his nemesis Ric Flair was not. Former basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar does, but Shaquille O’Neal does not. However, Stephen King, an author who has previously criticized Elon Musk’s control of Twitter, remains vetted. He said He has not parted ways with Twitter Blue.
has musk said then he personally pays for Twitter Blue subscriptions for King, Star Trek Star William Shatner and basketball icon LeBron James. Meanwhile, the New York City Twitter account has witnessed other accounts being scanned. reply to his tweets trying to get people to click on the wrong link.
In short, it’s impossible to know who’s real and who’s not on Twitter.
“It was a shitty show [yesterday]said social media analyst Matt Navarra. “But we all knew it would.”
The long-term effects of the postponement remain to be seen, but given Twitter’s central role as a network for distributing factual information and news, Osama bin Laden’s death, for example, was first posted on Twitter, and many people have turned to the platform. after live news events to get the most up-to-date reporting – removing a method that makes it easy to determine what is factual, official information and what is not can be a difficult task.
“I think we need a good 24 or 48 hours to see the best or worst of Twitter Blue come out and play with brands and see how robust the review process is to avoid some of the risks that people expect. exploited,” Navarra said.
For bad actors, the ability to impersonate a celebrity and use their reputation in front of an audience of millions will be a powerful tool. Previously, Musk changed the way Twitter usernames are displayed to more clearly distinguish between certain characters, such as the capital letter I, lowercase L, and the number 1, since accounts registered with names such as “E1on Musk” or “Eion.”, I can be. Mask” and try to deceive users.
“Verification can serve many purposes,” says Evgeny Golovchenko, who studies disinformation at the University of Copenhagen. “One prevents fraud or misinformation with fake accounts. This is especially important when viewing users with a large number of followers. There is a risk that by removing verification marks, Twitter will encourage deception and fraud using other people’s accounts.
The risk of panic and lies spreading across the platform has skyrocketed, worrying those deeply immersed in social media. “The various changes that Elon Musk has made over the past few weeks have made Twitter fertile ground for the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories,” said Eleanor Carmi, lecturer in digital society at the City of London University, referring to the digital scientist.
Karmi notes that as serious as the problem seems to be on English-language Western Twitter, there are likely bigger factors elsewhere on the platform. “While the focus is on English speaking countries, I think non-English speaking countries are, as always, the most underperforming countries where laying off so many employees has led to even more Wild West when it comes to distribution.” to counter bots,” she said.
For those who haven’t been verified, the little blue icon behind your Twitter display name may seem insignificant. But for Navarra, it’s one of the most potentially disruptive changes to the platform during Musk’s tenure as “chief jerk.”
“This is an important moment for Twitter because of its cultural significance and relevance. For so many years, the blue tick and blue tick should not be underestimated,” he said. “Sudden removal and loss of almost all of its value is bad.”
Source: I News
With a background in journalism and a passion for technology, I am an experienced writer and editor. As an author at 24 News Reporter, I specialize in writing about the latest news and developments within the tech industry. My work has been featured on various publications including Wired Magazine and Engadget.