With new Twitter owner Elon Musk considering a pay-for-verification model, people are wondering exactly how many Twitter users are verified, and how much additional revenue they would provide if the model gets approved. Here are all the “blue checks” on Twitter and how their accounts might change under Musk’s control.
Verification explained
Verification is how Twitter accounts are designated as “authentic, notable, and active.” The seven categories under the verification umbrella are “government,” “news organizations, individuals in news & journalists,” “companies, brands & organizations,” “entertainment,” “sports & gaming,” “activists & organizers,” and “content creators & influential individuals.” Any Twitter user can apply for verification via the “Request Verification” form, but only those who fall into the above categories and have a clean Twitter record will be accepted. Verified accounts have a blue checkmark next to their names.
Verified users by the numbers
As of 2021, there were roughly 400,000 verified accounts. Since Twitter has around 400 million active users, just 0.1 percent of active accounts are verified.
What Musk’s acquisition could mean for verified accounts
According to tech insiders and allusions from Musk himself, Twitter is planning to make verification part of a monthly subscription package. “The whole verification process is being revamped right now,” Musk tweeted. He also highlighted a poll that asked Twitter users whether they’d pay $5, $10, $15, or nothing at all for verification (81.7 percent of respondents have chosen “wouldn’t pay”). The monthly sum circulating in the media is $19.99. Already verified users are expected to have 90 days to pay up or lose their checkmarks.
Four hundred thousand accounts paying $19.99 would be an extra $8 million in revenue.