Musk suggests $8 per month for blue tick on Twitter, Says the goal is to rely less on ads

Twitter's new owner Elon Musk is planning to charge $8 for the blue tick (verification badge) on the microblogging platform. The Blue subscription is part of his supposed efforts to rely less on advertisements.

After many netizens complained about the paid verification, he tweeted: "To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8." On Tuesday, Musk tweeted: "Twitter's current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month."

The decision comes less than a week after Musk took over the social media giant. Initially, the billionaire entrepreneur had given his employees an ultimatum to charge $20/month for the blue tick. Many users including celebrities criticised this decision. Author Stephen King tweeted that he will not be paying $20 to keep the blue tick. Musk replied to him and wrote: "We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?"

Musk said those who pay for the blue tick will also get priority in replies, mentions, and searches, and the ability to post long videos and audio. They will also be less subjected to ads. He added that the new system will also give Twitter a revenue stream to reward content creators. Public figures like politicians will get a secondary tag below their name.

While some users think paid verification will create a billion dollars in revenue and it is a good idea, others think paying money for the blue tick is not worth it. Twitter introduced the blue tick badge as an indication that an account is authentic. It was to let users know that an account is of public interest. An account had to be authentic, notable, and active to receive the revered blue badge. Musk's new system will make it possible for anyone with $8 to buy this "authenticity."