Most of my publications in recent times have been about Splinterlands but it doesn't mean I haven't been keeping tabs on recent happenings. I think the most interesting event of the past 7 days is the fact that Elon took over Twitter and will be forcing every blue tick to pay an $8 subscription to retain their benefits.
So, for everyone that doesn't get it, what this means is that Twitter is still technically "free" to use but to enjoy the premium service that "blue ticks" receive, you will now have to pay $8 a month. In a way, I think it makes sense to charge them for it since they enjoy benefits that the normal unticked human doesn't receive.
Many blue ticks have been up in arms, complaining about the incoming rule but its not because of the $8 fee. Oh now, what annoys most of the blue tics against the idea is the fact that "normal" people can now get blue ticks.
Here's the thing, in the past, "blue ticks" or better known as verification badges were meant for public figures and washed-up public figures, as the case may be. So, in general, having a blue tick on Twitter generally meant that your tweets tend to carry a bit more weight and on top of that, the algorithm also prioritises your tweets.
So, in most cases, the blue ticks' opinion about an issue will most likely be shoved in your face first before you see opinions of non-blue ticks. This means that blue ticks generally got a better user experience than the unticked.
Elon is pressing their necks
So, here's the thing, Elon is a billionaire that has literally sent spaceships to outer space, so if he decides to spend $44B of his own money on a social media platform, then he should fucking do it. I'm not here to tell you whether the $8 thing is bad or good, I'm here to tell you that I fucking love it.
The way I see it, Elon is redefining what a "blue tick" means and giving the general public access to it for a fee. Elon isn't taking Twitter away from anyone, he's saying that if you want premium service and want your opinions to hit the headlines more, you should pay the money.
People are constantly trying to summarise the issue by making it seem like he's saying "you must pay to use Twitter" but we all know that's not the case. He's saying, if you want your blue tick, then pay or else, just be like the rest of us unticked individuals screaming at each other in our echo chamber.
The $8 charge is akin to promoting a post on Leofinance front-end. You burn some Leo and you can have your publication sitting in the front page of Leofinance, thereby reaching an even greater audience than you normally would. The more Leo you burn to promote, the more reach your publication gets.
Again, I'd like to state that I'm not discussing the economic viability of the decision to charge $8 for blue ticks but I can say for sure that I'm enjoying the reaction of the current blue ticks. Making a verification badge available for everyone means that we all get a fair share of the spotlight and you pay a small price to get it.
The backlash from the decision has been quite hilarious, with AOC standing as the "voice of the oppressed". AOC is the voice of the poor and helpless Wealthy celebrities that have been enjoying premium service and reach a wider audience with their crappy opinions because of their blue ticks.
Now, big bad Elon has made this service available to the general public, so we won't be shunted into echo chambers and will now have an "equal" opportunity to hit the Twitter spotlight. Elon, you monster, how could you do this to celebrities? Other than the millions of followers the celebrities often have, how will the peasants know that they're talking to a god?
Works for Hive marketing
Just as @edicted highlighted in his publication, my Twitter account seems to be growing since Elon took over. I get a bit more engagement from outside the Hive community and have also been getting a decent number of new followers in the process.
Whenever blue ticks' subscription becomes public, I am 100% going to pay for the service and continue using my account for hive-based shilling activities.
I know this sounds strange but I actually encourage any account with interest in promoting Hive to actually pay for the verification service, as in the long run, it will bring more attention to the community. Think of the $8 monthly fee as the price you're paying for marketing, if that will make you feel better.
Now that I think about it, with just $8, I get to piss off the "high class" Twitter citizens, reach a bigger audience and promote Hive in the process. Totally worth it!!!
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta