Twitter’s Blue Tick Mystery: How did dead celebs like Sushant Singh Rajput, and Michael Jackson ‘pay’ for the label?

The saga of Twitter’s blue tick continues. Save for a few verified accounts, most lost the checkmark last week. It was all part of CEO Elon Musk’s plan to revamp the social media platform and boost revenues – blue ticks are to be earned, literally. From celebrities to influencers, all Twitter personalities are now expected to pay for them. But come Sunday, many got the verification mark back, without shelling out the fee – starting at $8 a month. After the surprise came the shocker. Several known names, who have been dead for years, have profiles with the tick.

The confusion prevails. No one really knows what’s going on or who paid for them. We take a look at the brouhaha over the coloured verification.

The blue tick fiasco

One of the first changes Elon Musk introduced after he took over Twitter in October last year was introducing Twitter Blue, a paid service for the tick. Last Thursday, the microblogging site launched a cull that stipped several famous names off the verified status – from Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, from sporting greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Ronaldo to legendary musicians like Paul McCartney and Beyoncé.

The handful who retained their ticks were writer Stephen King, actor William Shatner and the basketball star LeBron James. They didn’t subscribe to Twitter Blue but Elon Musk paid for the service.

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The return of the tick

But now several others have got the verification badge back. But did Musk pay for it or did they subscribe?

Only a tiny fraction of blue-ticked users subscribed, less than five per cent of the 407,000 profiles affected, according to Travis Brown, a Berlin-based software developer who tracks social-media platforms.

Those to have gotten back the tick without having paid include the news agency AFP, American rapper Lil Nas X, and several other politicians and personalities. Many claimed that they have not subscribed to Twitter Blue.

American rapper Lil Nas X, whose profile displays the blue tick, tweeted, “on my soul i didn’t pay for twitter blue, u will feel my wrath tesla man!”

Fantasy author Neil Gaiman also said that he has not paid up. “For the curious, I’m not subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven’t given anyone my phone number.” (That’s what a Twitter Blue service demands.)

For the curious, I'm not subscribed to Twitter Blue. I haven't given anyone my phone number. What a sad, muddled place this has become. pic.twitter.com/Ju125xyoUx

— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) April 23, 2023

British actor Ian McKellen said he isn’t “paying for the ‘honor’”. Even the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, which also received the blue mark, sought to clarify that it has “never subscribed and paid” for the service, according to a report on Bloomberg.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah was also surprised to get back the tick. He joked, “Apparently I’ve paid for Twitter Blue & given them a phone number to verify except that I haven’t. Mr Musk are you paying for mine as well?”

Apparently I’ve paid for Twitter Blue & given them a phone number to verify except that I haven’t. Mr Musk are you paying for mine as well? 😄

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 23, 2023

There were reports in the media that the label was reinstated for those accounts that had more than a million subscribers. But that does not explain why actor Ryan Reynolds with 21.3 million followers does not have a verified handle.

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan found himself in a fix. He paid for the tick only to realise that many who had lost the tick got it back.

In the wee hours of Monday, he tweeted in Awadi, which can be roughly translated to, “Oh Twitter aunt… you got us to pay for the blue tick and now you tell us that anyone with more than 1 million followers gets it for free. I have 48.4 million, what should I do now? I have already paid the money?”

T 4627 - अरे मारे गये गुलफाम , बिरज में मारे गये गुलफाम 🎶

ए ! Twitter मौसी, चाची, बहनी, ताई, बुआ .. झौआ भर के त नाम हैं तुम्हार ! पैसे भरवा लियो हमार, नील कमल ख़ातिर ✔️ अब कहत हो जेकर 1 m follower उनकर नील कमल free म
हमार तो 48.4 m हैं , अब ??
खेल खतम, पैसा हजम ?!😳

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 23, 2023

The dead with the blue tick

However, the strangest development was when the verification mark was restored on the profiles of several celebrities who have been dead. This only added to the confusion about the paid feature.

Accounts of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who died in 2018 and National Basketball Association player Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash in 2020 now have blue ticks. So do those of pop star Michael Jackson, football legend Pele, cricketer Shane Warne and actor Chadwick Boseman.

Even profiles of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi and former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated last year, received verified labels. None of the profiles appeared to be active, reports Bloomberg.

In India, the profiles of actors Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan and singer Lata Mangeshkar are verified.

What’s shocking is the message that appears when one hovers over the blue badge of these profiles: “This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”

This is obscene pic.twitter.com/Fgk4KuZqIH

— Mohamad Bazzi (@BazziNYU) April 23, 2023

Boycotting the tick

The appearing and disappearing labels have left several irritated. American model Chrissy Teigen dubbed the blue checkmark as a “badge of shame”.

Some have started a campaign to “Block the Blue”. It was only a matter of time.

The boycott brigade is led by Dril (@dril), an anonymous Twitter user with more than 1.8 million followers, which he has built with his funny posts over the years.

“I am actively rooting for the downfall of Twitter,” @dril told Mashable. “I hope to sabotage their efforts to become profitable, no matter how futile, in the hopes that they will eventually close up shop and release us all from this toilet.”

In response, Twitter gave the account a spite checkmark, which now seems to have disappeared.

scientology brain. paint huffing used car dealer brain. pillhead grandma brain. shit stained herman miller brain #BlockTheBlueChecks pic.twitter.com/uHIgNl2fwM

— wint (@dril) April 22, 2023

Only Twitter knows

Twitter has not released a statement over the fiasco. It’s letting the chaos continue. Sounds a lot like Musk.

In November last year, the platform ditched its communication team. And it did not specifically respond to queries from publications like Bloomberg.

Astrophysicist and TV personality Neil deGrasse Tyson, who seemed amused with the return of the tick, put it aptly, “The Universe brims with mysteries.” And Twitter certainly is one.

With inputs from agencies

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