Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Twitter: Blue ticks reinstated for some media celebrities

Many objected to the reinstatement of Twitter's blue ticks on select media, celebrity, and other high-profile accounts. Blue ticks, which were once a free indication of reliability and fame, are now a subscriber-only perk costing $8 (Dh29.38) per month, according to Twitter. On Thursday, non-paying accounts with a blue tick lost it as owner Elon Musk executed a "Twitter Blue" approach to generate fresh money that was first introduced last year. Less than 5 percent of the 407,000 accounts impacted by the blue-ticked users subscribed, according to Travis Brown, a software developer based in Berlin who monitors social media networks. Recently, several famous people, including novelist Stephen King, NBA champion LeBron James, and former US president Donald Trump, reclaimed their blue ticks, presumably without their involvement. Imran Khan, a former prime minister, and Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan's cricket team, both got their blue ticks back. A blue tick was also placed on the profiles of certain deceased celebrities, including American chef Anthony Bourdain. Several official media accounts have had their tick back, including AFP, which does not use Twitter Blue. Malala Yousafzai was astounded to receive her blue tick as well. Musk tweeted that he was "paying for a few (subscriptions) personally." Since the badge came to represent support for Musk, many people who unintentionally received blue ticks made it apparent that they had not subscribed. The tech journalist Kara Swisher tweeted: "No means no, boys," claiming that she had received the blue tick without her permission. The CEO of Twitter, Tesla, and SpaceX replied with a picture of a baby wailing over a dish of pasta while covered in tomato sauce and wearing a bib with a blue tick superimposed on it. KD/Expat Media
For all the latest news from the UAE and the world, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube page