Almost a year since blue check marks disappeared from some large, influential accounts on X (formerly Twitter), they have started to return. On Wednesday, some individuals with large followings started receiving notifications that they had received complimentary premium features, including the return of the iconic blue check mark to their accounts.
“Omg they gave me a blue checkmark for being ‘influential’ on twitter,” posted comedian Ellie Schnitt, who has more than half a million followers on X and was previously verified. “They have simply reinvented the original blue check i’m laughing so hard.”
In late March, platform owner Elon Musk posted that accounts with more than 2,500 verified subscriber followers would get X Premium features for free, and accounts with more than 5,000 verified subscriber followers will get X Premium+ features. One of those features is the blue check mark icon that previously served as an indicator of real accounts belonging to celebrities, journalists, influencers and other public figures.
In April 2023, as part of Musk’s takeover of the company, check marks were pulled from “legacy” verified accounts — which had been verified through a tightly controlled process meant to designate accounts as “notable.” Under Musk, verification became a paid feature for members of X Premium, in which virtually anyone could enroll. Politicians were given gray check marks and organizations could pay for gold check marks. At the same time, Musk said he gifted some premium features to some influential accounts, like author Stephen King, who posted that he had received the blue check against his will.
Under Musk, the platform added benefits to premium subscriptions including the ability to monetize content via ads, the ability to edit posts and boosted reach.
As the blue check transformed into a symbol of paying for a subscription to X, it also became a target of mockery and became associated with accounts that scam, spam,…
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