“Please note that Twitter is going to do a lot of silly things in the coming months. We’ll keep what works and change what doesn’t.”, he warned last week. Elon Musk, who has just bought the social network, could not say better to describe the chaotic launch of one of his new products, the “Official” badge.
This new device aims to report the authenticity and notoriety of an account (its number of subscribers). It differs from the blue check mark, which fulfilled this role until now.
Launched in preview on Wednesday November 9, on behalf of governments and media personalities, it was then “deleted” by Elon Musk, then restored by a director of the social network for a more restricted perimeter, in a cacophony that has become the platform’s communication standard. It took a user’s comment, noticing that the badge “Official” had disappeared from the platform, for Musk to confirm: “I just deleted it. »
“The “Official” badge will be activated during the launch of Twitter Blue”tweeted the director of products in development Esther Crawford, a few minutes after the announcement of the abandonment by the new boss. This is ultimately to offer all users a subscription of $ 8 per month to a new version of the social network, the famous Twitter Blue, through the badge “Official”.
“We simply start with governments and commercial organizations, tried to justify Mme Crawford. That [Elon Musk] mentioned is the fact that we are not giving the “Official” badge to individuals at this time. » Accounts like that of US MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pope Francis and rapper Kanye West had received the “Official” badge before it disappeared.
“Quest for Truth”
Elon Musk also detailed his approach on Wednesday during an online conference. The richest man in the world would like to have “80% of humanity” on Twitter, who would interact “in a more positive way”. “We want to be in a vigorous quest for the truth. (…) It’s a nebulous concept but we can aspire to it”he said.
The new subscription will include the blue tick, guarantee of authenticity, and access to practical advantages. It must allow, according to the leader, to fight against false profiles and automated accounts, because malicious actors will have to spend eight dollars each time, and have as many credit cards as accounts they want to create.
“Anything that is not true, interesting or entertaining will be stopped or in any case relegated to the background”also explained Elon Musk. “Messages from verified accounts will show by default”, he detailed. And tweets from people who haven’t paid for Twitter Blue will be treated much like ” Spam “ on a mailbox: “We can always go and check the spam folder. »
The comparison is likely to make the many detractors of the multi-billionaire ironic, who says he wants “give more power to the people” and abolish “the current system of lords and peasants, between those who have the blue tick and those who do not”. The extensively revised subscription is currently only available in the mobile application, on iPhones and in the United States.
Elon Musk’s ties to foreign countries “worth looking into”US President Joe Biden ruled on Wednesday, in response to a question about the possibility that the billionaire’s takeover of Twitter poses a threat to US national security.