Twitter headquarters is shown in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Elon ... [+]
Just days after tech billionaire Elon Musk took ownership of Twitter, a number of high-profile celebrities – most with verified accounts, those with the often coveted "blue check marks" – have announced plans to check out of the platform in protest to the direction Musk is taking the company. Grammy award-winner Sara Bareilles announced her intention to leave Twitter on Sunday, and she was hardly alone.
Director Ken Olin, Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, singer Toni Braxton, former pro-wrestler turned actor Mick Foley, Billions creator Brian Koppelman, comic book creator Erik Larsen, actress Téa Leoni, and actor Alex Winter are among those who have said they'd also be checking out.
It is unclear how many true "A-listers" might follow suit, but more importantly, the question is whether those individuals will actually remain off Twitter for long. The platform remains the most popular social media service for individuals to broadcast daily to the world. Though Bareilles and others have said they'd be active on other social media services, notably Instagram, the question is whether anything can really replace Twitter.
What celebrities do, and actually say can be two different things entirely, however – and one only needs to go through their past tweets, which included the largely empty threats to "move to Canada" back in 2016.
"This is not unlike people threatening to leave the country when Trump was elected. Most did not," said social media analyst Greg Sterling, co-founder of Near Media.
"Similarly, these celebrities threatening to leave (Twitter) are expressing distaste for Musk's politics and fears that he will in fact let Twitter become a 'Hellscape.' But most will wait and see," Sterling explained. "There's no immediate replacement for Twitter. But people may use several platforms – as they already do – including TikTok, Instagram, and various messaging apps (e.g., Discord). Other apps could later emerge to take Twitter's place."
Thus some could sign off now, but it would be too early to suggest this is a "checkmate" moment for the Musk-owned Twitter.
"It will all depend on whether Twitter stabilizes or sinks further into chaos," Sterling added.
Future of Verified Accounts
Currently, it isn't just celebrities that can be "verified" on Twitter and receive the aforementioned blue check marks. Politicians, activists, athletes, influencers, and journalists are among those who can also have their profiles reviewed and receive a verified account.
In addition, the social media service has offered a "Twitter Blue" feature, which currently costs $4.99. This is available to anyone who wants to be more engaged on the platform.
Soon more users could have the option to become verified.
According to a report from CNN, Twitter is now considering extending the verified accounts to any users who are willing to pay $19.99 a month for a subscription service. Moreover, it could even opt to take away the coveted check marks of existing users who don't feel the need to pay for the product within 90 days. Some international organizations and charities could be exempt, but most could be "unchecked."
The news follows a tweet from Musk, who explained, "The whole verification process is being revamped right now." However, Internet entrepreneur/angel investor Jason Calacanis (@Jason) also tweeted a poll, questioning how much users might be willing to pay to be verified on the platform.
A large majority of respondents selected the "wouldn't pay" option, to which Musk tweeted in response, "Interesting."
The question is whether there would be any value-add to be verified if a fee is actually added for the privilege.
"Although unpopular, charging a monthly subscription to accounts with a large following makes absolute sense," suggested Dr. Dustin York, associate professor of communication at Maryville University.
"If you have 100,000 followers on Twitter, you can't say Twitter isn't helping you financially, either directly or indirectly," York continued. "Those followers allow you to profit from sponsorships or simply a thought leadership following to sell upcoming books, shows, or keynotes. And guess who hasn't received their cut of that money for years? Twitter, until now."
