Getting a Twitter profile verified is now as simple as buying a box of chocolates $8 a month

You can now buy a Blue tick for your Twitter profile, something Twitter earlier used to give to noteworthy profiles based on its own criteria. Now the new Twitter owner, Elon Musk says, spend a few dollars, and you can now buy one. Getting a Twitter profile verified is now as simple as buying a box of chocolates for $8 a month. You heard that right. Twitter will charge $8 per month for its Blue service.

The price, however, will be adjusted according to the purchasing power parity of the country. In other words, the subscription service will have different price tags in different countries. Under the new service, subscribers will not only get a sought-after verified badge, but they will also get priority in replies, mentions, and searches. They will be able to post longer videos and audio. Also, they would see half as many ads.

While Musk may be excited to announce this new service, it seems users are not convinced. Recently, a number rather of members of Musk's inner circle, conducted a poll asking people, how much would you pay to be verified and get a Blue checkmark on Twitter? To the surprise of many, more than 80% of Twitter users who took part in the poll said they would not like to rather pay for this checkmark. Only 10% of respondents said that they would be willing to pay $5 a month. Probably most people think that they can spend the money on better things.

They can buy a new power bank at that price, which is actually a lifesaver in most situations. You can even treat yourself to a Happy Meal. That to twice a monthly subscription for Apple TV Plus will cost people even lesser. Now, let's keep this one aside for a while. There are also safety concerns with Musk's paid verification model.

Remember, it would be easier for fake accounts posing as banks, government agencies, or notable people to dupe innocent users and spread fake news. And there are no criteria for checking identity. Hackers could misuse the verification service. It could become a paradise for scammers. It appears that Mask is under immense pressure when it comes to overhauling Twitter.

The road ahead doesn't seem to be too smooth. It's important to note that ad sales accounted for more than 90% of Twitter's revenue in the second quarter. And now some big companies have suspended their advertising on Twitter. Firms have grown concerned about advertising on Twitter under Elon Musk's leadership, twitter's advertising chief Sarah Percinet has also resigned, adding further uncertainty for advertisers. So Musk wants to reduce Twitter's reliance on advertising.

He's also thinking about bringing back Wine, twitter's defunct short-form video service, probably to take on TikTok. Now, we understand that Musk is looking at new streams of revenue, but generating money by selling Blue ticks doesn't sound like a great idea. It's been shot down by both industry experts and social media analysts.