According to Twitter, starting this month, the platform will phase out its old verification program and those that once met the blue check mark criteria will have to pay to keep the blue check mark. Instagram (IG) has not announced if they will follow suit, but getting verified on IG is easy. The account must belong to a real person, business, brand, or entity; the account must be public; and the profile must be complete, meaning it should have a bio, have a photo, be active on the platform, and be unique. This means this account is the only account representing your unique self or business.
Instagram users can now subscribe to get the coveted blue check for their account. However, the platform’s parent company, Meta, charges a hefty monthly fee of $14.99 per month if it’s via iPhone or Android, according to ScreenRant.com. On the other hand, Twitter Blue costs $8 a month or $84 annually, as reported by as.com. Simple math shows that Twitter is incentivizing folks to pay the annual fee instead of the monthly fee.
That being said, you and I can also get verified on Instagram and Twitter. However, will that take from those people, brands, and entities that have worked hard and established themselves? Being verified came with a lot of benefits. The blue check came with a sense of trustworthiness because people knew it was based on a process, accolades, and years of challenging work. It increased brand awareness, along with tools that Instagram and Twitter provided to keep brands and artists engaged and knowledgeable of their following. Being verified across all platforms was something to strive for because it could not be purchased, it was a badge of honor, and an acknowledgment of the excellent work one does or did.
There are many cons to paying for verifications. It gives people a fake sense of accomplishment and steals the hunger of striving for more if it looks like one is “winning in life” on social media. It has been scientifically proven that social media is addictive. In fact, according to jeffersonhealth.org, the likes, comments, and shares trigger the brain’s reward center, resulting in a high like the one people feel when gambling or using drugs. There is nothing wrong with being verified, but when it becomes a business that people can pay to get the blue check, we should be more conscious and do some research before we pay for subscriptions that validate or verify our online persona.
