Twitter’s new CEO, Elon Musk, has announced plans to take multiple steps to make social media less dependent on ads. The Twitter Blue tick app, currently available for $4.99 per month in four countries, will be upgraded to $8 and will now feature a blue tick next to the paying user. This comes in response to previous claims that the service will cost $20.
In a series of tweets, the entrepreneur said that the current system of “lords and peasants” is “ridiculous” and will offer a verification mark to anyone who pays the money every month. The subscription will also give priority to replies and mentions, a way to combat spam.
Also, users will be able to stream longer videos and audios and receive half as many ads. Publishers who decide to work with Twitter will receive a paywall bypass.
Interestingly, the Edit feature, which is currently only enabled for Blue users, will be available to everyone for free, according to Platformer’s Casey Newton.
Verification control on Twitter is currently only available to people who can be impersonated, such as celebrities, politicians, and journalists.
If/when the new update arrives, all users will be able to post a secondary hashtag currently reserved only for high profile politicians.