Blue ticks: what evolutionary theory tells us about the turmoil around social media verification

Paid-for verification can disrupt our expectations about the reliability of profiles on social media Shutterstock / Poca Wander Stock

“Integrity,” “Professionalism”, “Creativity” — three of many words I used to see around one of the offices I worked in in New York.

Like other aspects of corporate culture, these annoyed me. It’s easy to write words in big font on the glass doors of meeting rooms. But it’s something else to embody the qualities they suggest.