Twitter’s $8 Verification Fee To Kill Its Magic, Segregate Users – Former Executive Warns

A former executive of the microblogging app Twitter, Brandon Borrman has warned that the platform’s monthly $8 (£7) fee for blue tick would sooner or later kill Twitter’s magic.

According to him, Twitter users worldwide had equal voices on the platform, but the introduction of the monthly verification fees by its new owner Elon Musk will now segregate users.

Naija News understands that Borrman, who was Twitter’s former head of global communications told the BBC that the verification fee and its optimized visibility would “stratify” the platform.

The former executive, who said he was happy to have left last year before Musk’s acquisition, explained that “If charging for the blue tick was the fairest way to do it, I think Twitter probably would have done it a while ago.”

“$8 might seem like nothing to a lot of people but it’s quite substantial for most people around the world,” Borrman added.

The former Twitter executive also expressed concerns about how the new CEO would drive revenue generation.

Borrman pointed out that “Elon obviously has a particular way he likes to manage and approach things that’s quite different from the way Twitter has been managed in the past.

“There’s a lot of people who are in ‘wait-and-see’ mode.”

Borrman, who left Twitter in June 2021 after spending three and a half years, is now working currently at the not-for-profit web organization Mozilla.

Meanwhile, Naija News reported that the American social networking platform, Twitter, is taking a new shape following the takeover by business magnate and investor, Elon Musk.

Already verified users and those to soon get verification badges on the platform will henceforth be charged $8 per month to keep their blue tick. This will be a form of subscription as those who default may lose their badge, Musk announced on Tuesday.

According to Musk, the plan would cancel the platform’s current lords & peasants system and create a new revenue stream for the company.

Naija News understands that the latest development on the bird app comes days after the world’s wealthiest man took sole control of the social media giant in a contentious $44 billion deal.

“Power to the people! Blue for $8/month,” Musk tweeted today about the platform’s famous blue checkmark that signals a verified, authentic account.

According to Musk, the new plan’s pricing would be adjusted by country proportionate to purchasing power parity.

Musk noted in the thread that the new policy would also include priority in replying to and searching posts, which he called “essential to defeat spam/scam.”

There would also be expanded video abilities, fewer ads, and the possibility for users to get a “paywall bypass for publishers willing to work with us,” he said.

“This will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators,” Musk tweeted.

In addition to offering verification privileges, the new program would take over the existing functions of Twitter Blue, currently available for $5 per month, allowing users to edit their tweets.

Naija News understands that Musk gave the revelations while responding to a tweet by Stephen King, who was complaining about reports that the verification service could cost $20 per month.

Musk responded: “We need to pay the bills somehow. Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?”

The proposal is only one part of a series of sweeping changes the 51-year-old entrepreneur has implemented at Twitter, with the entire board, including CEO Parag Agrawal, let go last week.