Twitter – now rebranded as X by owner and ex-CEO Elon Musk – is pushing out a change to its Twitter Blue verification checkmark feature for paid subscribers, and it's one that trivializes the entire purpose of Twitter Blue in the first place.
The social media giant, if you can still call it that, updated its ‘About Twitter Blue’ page with details on how paid users can hide their blue verification checkmarks.
According to the help page: “As a subscriber, you can choose to hide your checkmark on your account. The checkmark will be hidden on your profile and posts. The checkmark may still appear in some places and some features could still reveal you have an active subscription. Some features may not be available while your checkmark is hidden. We will continue to evolve this feature to make it better for you.”
However, as you can see, the process is not foolproof, as the checkmark can still be visible in some instances. You’re also blocked from accessing certain features, though what features those are haven’t been disclosed at this time.
For Blue subscribers, you can change the option to hide your checkmark by going into your ‘Account settings’ and then ‘Profile customization.’ This feature has been in the works since as long ago as March 2023, according to Twitter user and app reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi. He even posted a screenshot of the option to hide checkmarks back in mid-July 2023.
#Twitter continues to work on the ability to hide your blue checkmark, the setting has been added to the web app as well 👀 pic.twitter.com/qP5hHeuUgkJuly 20, 2023
The inherent ridiculousness of hiding checkmarks
The concept of being able to hide your Blue status is beyond ridiculous. On the one hand, if you solely want the benefits of the subscription without the notoriety then hiding the checkmark makes sense.
However, for the vast majority of paid users, having the checkmark to flaunt was part of its ‘glory.’ The feature was put into place not only to make money, but to satisfy those who wanted status on Twitter without having to earn it.
I’m assuming that the massive backlash to Blue paid users is what resulted in this implemented option. From the #blocktheblue Twitter campaign to Chrome extensions that let you instantly block those with checkmarks, and more, Blue users have been repeatedly told through action that no one actually takes them seriously.
This latest episode comes on the heels of Musk's controversial decision to rebrand Twitter as X, which has angered many users, and even caused Microsoft's Edge browser to display a security warning due to the change of icon.
And the irony of having users clamor for the perceived prestige of having a blue checkmark, and paying for it, only to then have to hide that very same ‘status symbol,’ feels like another case of Musk shooting himself, and Twitter / X, in the foot.
