Blue Check Marks Reappear On Some Large X Accounts



Almost a year since blue check marks disappeared from some large, influential accounts on X (formerly Twitter), they have started to return, NBC News reported. On Wednesday, some individuals with large followings started receiving notifications that they had received complementary premium features, including the return of the iconic blue check mark to their accounts.

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.

The Verge reported just as Elon Musk said, X is doling out the free Premium and Premium Plus memberships to accounts with a high number of verified followers. 

Multiple X users on Wednesday reported seeing the familiar blue “Verified” checkmark next to their handles despite not paying for either paid X subscription tier. Musk last week announced that X accounts with over 2,500 “verified subscriber followers” would receive a free Premium membership; while accounts with over 5,000 would receive a free Premium Plus membership.

Now, it appears that many influential X accounts with already large followings in the tens of thousands (which may translate to verified followings that cross the benchmark) are once again checkmarked, or will be, whether they like it or not.

TechCrunch reported X is giving free blue checks to users who have more than 2,500 “verified” followers, which are people who subscribe to X Premium. Popular posters will get a blue check, but not everyone is happy about it: People are now frantically posting to make it clear that they didn’t buy a blue check, but rather the blue check was foisted upon them.

According to TechCrunch, back in the days of yore, Twitter’s blue check indicated that a user was influential in some way. Back then, blue checks actually helped us determine public figures are who they say they are. So if someone was popular on Twitter, perhaps because they’re a celebrity, an influencer or a journalist, they would get a blue check, which could also help reduce the spread of misinformation.

In my opinion, it appears that some large X/Twitter accounts, who have received blue checkmarks, are not entirely thrilled about having it. That said, it might have at least one use – making it clear that the checkmark prevents other people from pretending to be a celebrity.