In the latest overhaul of the platform formerly known as Twitter, some influential accounts were surprised and appalled to find that a free blue checkmark had been added to their profiles Wednesday.
Owner Elon Musk, who has instigated a series of dramatic and controversial redsesigns to the social media site, announced the change last month. “Going forward, all X accounts with over 2,500 verified subscriber followers will get Premium features for free and accounts with over 5000 will get Premium+ for free,” the billionaire said, referring to services that otherwise respectively cost $8 and $16 a month.”
The policy change appears to have come into effect on Wednesday—prompting bewilderment among some users and outright fury in others.
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“Yo, Elon, take this blue check and scratch your taint with the long end of it. Does anyone out there know how to turn this fucker off?” wrote David Simon, the creator of The Wire. He also slammed statistics savant Nate Silver for questioning the sincerity of those expressing outrage at their restored checkmarks.
“Fuck right off,” Simon raged. “[Musk] devalued its meaning and purpose in every sense and made it a symbol of the worst kind of rank trollery. Now he wants to give it back whether we want it or not? It’s permissible to tell the guy to piss on his shoes.”
“What’s with the random blue check I didn’t ask for or pay for?” MSNBC host Katie Phang asked. “I didn’t pay for mine either,” Star Wars actor Mark Hamill replied. “People: please don’t judge for my complimentary blue check.”
American Fiction star Jeffrey Wright shared a screenshot of a message informing him of his new “complimentary subscription to X Premium.” “Translation: Pay $8? Kidding,” the Oscar nominee wrote. “Help me. But don’t say anything too free speechy about me or my Garbage Tower of Babel shitsite.”
“Such ingrates,” Musk wrote with a crying-laughing emoji.
