Being verified on Instagram or Twitter used to be a badge of honor, but those days are long behind us. The exclusive verified club is slowly becoming a thing of the past, as more and more social media platforms introduce paid verification services.
A few months ago, people lost it after Elon Musk overtook Twitter, and massive firings weren’t his only innovation. He also introduced Twitter Blue, an opt-in, paid subscription that adds a blue checkmark to your account for $8 a month.
People were very vocal about their opposition to Twitter charging users $8 for a blue checkmark. Author Stephen King famously tweeted he’ll be “gone like Enron” if Twitter starts charging $20 for verification, as Musk initially proposed.
Those days now seem like a distant past, and Twitter Blue became the new normal on this social media platform. Certain requirements still exist, and users who pay for this feature get such perks as editing and undoing tweets, tweeting up to 4,000 characters, and more.
Just when we stopped talking about Twitter’s paid verification, Meta decided to go down the same road. Instagram and Facebook are also introducing paid subscription services, costing $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 for iPhone users. Meta said this wouldn’t affect previously verified accounts, but simply give new paying users a blue badge, increased visibility, and easier access to customer service.
Will other social media platforms follow suit and introduce paid verification, as well? Well, it turns out that Snapchat launched its exclusive subscription service Snapchat+ before Twitter and Meta even jumped on board. We’re definitely living in the age of paid social media, and no one is going off the grid… not even Stephen King.