Tumblr mocks Twitter by selling two useless blue ticks for $8

Tumblr has mocked Twitter’s plan to charge users $8 a month for a verified “blue tick”, in a satirical offer selling “not one but TWO” of its own checkmarks for the same price.

“We’re introducing Important Blue Internet Checkmarks here on Tumblr. They’re a steal at $7.99 – that’s cheaper than some other places, when you consider that you get not one but TWO checkmarks for your blog on web only (for now),” the microblogging site said in a post.

“Why, you ask? Why not? Nothing matters!” it added.

The post is a clear swipe at Twitter’s revamp of its verification policy since new boss Elon Musk’s takeover, which has resulted in the platform descending into chaos with numerous “verified” but clearly fake impersonations of famous people.

Prior to the Tesla chief’s takeover of Twitter, the blue check mark indicated that an account was used to authenticate accounts as genuine, including those of high-profile celebrities, government officials, and brands.

But following his buyout of the platform, Mr Musk said he would provide the coveted blue tick to everyone that subscribed to the platform’s $8 premium service, Twitter Blue.

Twitter then also implemented an “Official” grey checkmark to differentiate between Twitter Blue subscribers and other important accounts, including that of government officials, brands and media outlets with the company noting that the definition of the blue tick was “changing”.

“Until now, Twitter used the blue checkmark to indicate active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest that Twitter had independently verified based on certain requirements,” it said.

“Now the blue checkmark may mean two different things: either that an account was verified under the previous verification criteria (active, notable, and authentic), or that the account has an active subscription to Twitter Blue,” the company said in an online help page.

Twitter also added that accounts receiving the blue checkmark henceforth as part of a Twitter Blue subscription plan would not undergo review to confirm that they meet the active, authentic criteria used in the previous process.

With critics claiming the new system was confusing, Mr Musk also said the same day that he “killed” the “Official” checkmark, tweeting that it was an “aesthetic nightmare”.

During this time, however, many users who purchased the verified badges for $8 started tweeting as fake accounts, including an imposter president George W Bush account tweeting “I miss killing Iraqis.”

Tumblr mocked the superficial nature of Twitter’s verification badges, noting that anyone can buy its version of the check marks.

“Coveted status symbol, and now you can have one too—without having to be verified by Tumblr staff,” the microblogging platform noted.

“This is not a verification status; it’s an Important Blue Internet Checkmark, which in 2022 is just as legit. Also the Important Blue Internet Checkmark may turn into a bunch of crabs at any time,” it said.

Tumblr added that the feature is currently available on the web version of the platform and these “don’t work on mobile for now.”

Amid the chaos in Twitter since Mr Musk’s takeover, Tumblr has seen a resurgence along with recent policy changes, including allowing nudity back on the platform.

Celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds and Lynda Carter, are among those who have recently joined Tumblr.

Several Tumblr users have also created pages poking fun at the new changes the Tesla boss has made on Twitter.

One viral thread on Tumblr welcomes former Twitter users, with a post that says there “is no Elon Musk here”.

“This isn’t Twitter. This isn’t your average everyday site. This is Tumblr. We’re crazy. We’re weird. We don’t fit in. We’re the fangirls,” the thread reads.