Elon Musk knows users want a blue checkmark next to their name. He doesn’t seem to understand why. You see, the blue checkmark used to show users that an account was verified, that the owner of the account was exactly who they claimed to be. It was a way to verify the identity or brand of a Twitter account. All Musk seems to understand is that people wanted one. So he started selling it for $8/month. This, of course, makes it pretty useless. Already, pranksters on the site have used the verified checkmark and a clever handle to make it seem like they own a real account. One fake account made pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly appear to say they’d offer insulin for free. The company has been working to get the tweet down, but it’s been up for hours.
Musk started charging for the checkmark, and made it worthless in the process.
Tumblr, another social network and microblogging service, has been quick to point and laugh. After Musk took over, they turned over an unpopular rule that forbid nudity on the platform, to allow non-pornographic nudity again. Today, they announced another mockery of Twitter: two checkmarks for the price of one!
Buy One Get One Checkmarks!
Twitter will charge you $8 per month for just one checkmark on your profile. Tumblr, on the other hand, will offer you two “Important Blue Internet Checkmarks” for just $8. You get two for the price of one of Elon’s silly checks. Plus, the Tumblr ones stack. Four checkmarks? Eight? However many you want, just keep buying more checkmarks!
Worried about having blue checkmarks only online? So many people worry about that exact same thing. How will anyone know you are Very Important? Tumblr has you covered there as well. For $3, you can get some Important Blue Internet Checkmark Stickers, and for $6—a bargain—you can get Tumblr’s double Important Blue Internet Checkmark enamel pins.
Why? Well, according to Tumblr, “Nothing matters! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯”
They’re right. Now that Twitter’s checkmarks are mostly for trolling, they really don’t matter.
Tumblr’s a silly site, with inside jokes, fandoms, and tight, internal communities based around the notes, reblogs, and comments on posts. Verified users? Figure it out for yourself. It can be a place for fun, irreverent humor, and the silliness of it has always been part of its charm. If you’re looking to replace the Twitter-sized hole in your heart, it might help.
At the very least you can get two checkmarks for the price of one of Elon’s worthless checkmarks.
Sources:
- Adi Robertson, The Verge
- Amanda Silberling, TechCrunch