(This article is authored by Alar)
Twitter has started to remove the blue tick verification badge from many user profiles, including prominent Tamil celebrities and politicians. The move comes after Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced that users who want to keep their blue tick status have to pay a subscription fee by April 20, 2023.
In a shocking twist, those who lost their blue tick are Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, his son and minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, Superstar Rajinikanth, actors Vijay, Dhanush, Simbu, Sivakarthikeyan and Vijay Sethupathi, directors Shankar and Selvaraghavan, actresses Samantha and Keerthy Suresh, and cricketers MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
However, some Tamil celebrities like Kamal Haasan and Suriya still have their blue tick intact. Some other Indian politicians who retained their verification badge are opposition leader Edappadi Palaniswami, O Panneerselvam. Quite recently, Trisha and Jayam Ravi also lost their blue tick on Twitter due to their promotional activities for their upcoming film Ponniyin Selvan 2.
When Trisha and Jayam Ravi changed their Twitter handles to their character names from the movie. While Jayam Ravi changed to Arunmozhi Varman, Trisha changed her handle to Kundavai, their respective on-screen names. But this resulted in them losing their verified status on the social media platform. Twitter’s new policy has sparked mixed reactions from users, with some criticizing it as a money-making scheme and others supporting it as a way to reduce fake accounts and misinformation.
This brewing twist of famous personalities losing their verified status on the micro-blogging platform, which has sparked a surge of #BlueTick discussions. In a recent post, renowned actor Prakash Raj bid farewell to his own blue tick, stating "Bye bye #BlueTick …. It was nice having you….my journey ..my conversations..my sharing…will continue with my people … you take care"
Twitter users who want to keep their blue tick verification badge have to pay a subscription fee for Twitter Blue. The price of Twitter Blue in India is Rs 900 per month on Android and iOS apps, and Rs 650 per month or Rs 6,800 per year on the web. The subscription also offers other features such as fewer ads, longer posts, and early access to upcoming features.
First time in Twitter History
— Ayyappan (@Ayyappan_1504) April 20, 2023
Celebrities without Blue tick 😊 pic.twitter.com/NmrmKVrQEd
Bye bye #BlueTick …. It was nice having you….my journey ..my conversations..my sharing…will continue with my people … you take care #justasking
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) April 20, 2023
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