Explained: Difference between Twitter Blue and Musk's $8 Blue Tick

'Chief Twit' Elon Musk announced on the social media platform that he plans to charge $8 per month for the 'Blue Tick' that signifies verified profiles.

The announcement comes after the world's richest man took over Twitter following a protracted squabble over the number of bots on the platform. Musk had initially planned on charging $20 for the Blue Tick, but the decision did not go down well with users including master of horror, Stephen King, who tweeted "$20 a month to keep my blue check? F**k that, they should pay me." To this, Musk replied that Twitter had to pay its bills somehow, and added that the reason behind his call was to fight scam and spam accounts on the platform.

Musk, in a separate tweet detailed the other perks that would come with this $8(approx. Rs 662) package, saying users would get priority in replies, mentions and searches, which is essential to defeating spam and scams, the ability to post long videos and audio, and half as many ads. He continued that pricing would be adjusted based on a country's purchasing power parity, and publishers willing to work with Twitter would get paywall bypass. The innovator explained this would give Twitter a revenue stream to award content creators.

Also, Musk noted that there will be a secondary tag below the name for someone who is a public figure, which is already the case for politicians.

Read | Elon Musk’s Twitter faces exodus of advertisers and executives

However, there are several detractors with a common concern being that the value of the Blue Tick will go down if anyone can buy it for $8. "Blue tick is on sale now", a user tweeted.

Opening up accessibility to Blue Ticks to anyone who has eight dollars is one of the many changes Musk has made since he took over and fired Twitter CEO, Parag Agrawal. Among them is the reported removal of ad-free articles for Twitter Blue subscribers. Musk, now in the line of fire, from both general and Twitter Blue users, aptly changed his profile bio to "Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator" recently.

Musk's Blue Tick plan combines verification with some of the perks that Twitter offers its Blue subscribers - though the latter costs lesser.

The existing Twitter Blue costs $4.99 (Rs 413) and gives users access to premium features like the undo/edit tweet option, bookmark folder, custom theme, interface, and ad-free articles.

However, 9to5Mac reported that a recent email sent to subscribers informed them that ad-free articles would be gone by end of October 31. Musk's new plan offers similar premium features as Twitter Blue with the only caveat being the Blue Tick.

Thus far, Twitter had its own verification process after one filled out an application to get verified. The social media company checked a variety of criteria, including authenticity, notability, and activity levels of an account. The verified profile badge is mostly to ensure accounts do not get impersonated. Government officials to entertainment and sports celebrities, as well as journalists, often have the Blue Tick next to their names.

With Musk's new announcement everyone can have the coveted Blue Tick now, and with each costing $8 a month, many have posited that the move will line Musk's pockets. Taking a jibe at the billionaire's "power to the people" comment, a Twitter user replied "Power to the people? You’re literally lining your own pockets for blue check marks. More like power to Elon’s bank account."

Also, Musk noted that the $8 fee is not uniform across the world and instead, it will be based on the "country's purchasing power parity".

There will be more clarity on new features once Twitter rolls out the new Blue subscription tariff.

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