According to reports, after Elon Musk took over Twitter famous writer Stephen King became less happy. Musk is reportedly planning to charge blue-certified users $20 a month to keep their blue certification after closing last week’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, according to reports.
Blue-certified users are real accounts of celebrities, politicians, journalists, and other public figures. Stephen King said he would leave Twitter if the plan really started. He said: “Do I have to pay $20 a month to keep my blue certification? They should pay me. If this program is actually implemented, I will disappear like Enron.”
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His attitude also highlights the risks Musk faces in reforming Twitter, and the opposition to whether most people are willing to pay $20 a month, or $240 a year, for a blue-certified badge.
The move essentially amounts to billing your high-profile users, and while it may boost Twitter’s subscription revenue and diversify it further outside of the company’s core advertising model, the change could also drive away Twitter’s important users.
Many social networks, like TikTok and Meta, are doing the opposite, giving money to big names and influencers who use their platforms, with the aim of driving growth by delighting those who produce the most engaging content.
The change will also open the door to fake accounts posing as journalists, celebrities, government officials, and organizations, which could lead to a surge in the spread of false information on Twitter.
Musk has criticized strict social media management, portraying himself as an advocate for “free speech.” And the reduction of verification marks and lax moderation guidelines could be the perfect storm, leading to unchecked misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Stephen King isn’t the only public figure opposed to the potential plan. Nate Silver, the editor of the political analysis site FiveThirtyEight, also said on Twitter that he was “probably the perfect target for the idea” because he was “affordable” and “not particularly anti-Musk.” But he “has created a lot of valuable free content for Twitter over the years, so he definitely doesn’t pay”.
Josh Marshall, the founder of the political news site Talking Points Memo, tweeted: “I think they’re going to have a rough surprise, how many people are willing to pay $20 a month for a blue sign? ”
In his first few days as Twitter owner, Musk went through chaos, and he faced more than just threats from public figures to leave Twitter. Immediately after taking over Twitter, he fired several executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal. He is also reportedly preparing to cut 25% of the company’s workforce.
