Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has joined the discussion about blue checkmarks on Twitter, saying that people backing the “Block the Blue” campaign are “losers” trying to keep people out of “cool kid-friendly events.” He said he was a rogue.
It’s safe to say that Twitter has been a goat rodeo since Elon Musk took control of the company in late 2022, but things got even more silly last week. After Twitter finally did away with the traditional validation check (opens in new tab)So the only people who have a little check mark on their account are people who paid $8 a month for a Twitter Blue subscription.
Some of the old checks remain: The Xbox Man Phil Spencer (opens in new tab) and rally hub (opens in new tab)for example, they retained the blue check because they are affiliated with the official Xbox (opens in new tab) This account now has a gold check indicating it has been verified as an “Official Twitter Organization”. But for the most part, the “verified” blue check is gone.
But instead of encouraging people to sign up for Twitter Blue, the new program did the opposite. Celebrities quickly and easily turn their backs on everything, and major right-wing figures who previously complained on Twitter that they were “censored” are not worthy of the new programs they are now adopting. Many seemed genuinely baffled by the idea that celebrities and other prominent Twitter users wanted nothing to do with it. I think they’re better than everyone else,” said one, missing the point in a truly spectacular way.
Out of this chaos, the #BlocktheBlue campaign emerged. This is a kind of boycott aimed at improving the quality of the Twitter experience by auto-blocking Twitter Blue subscribers. The idea came about last year when her dril, one of Twitter’s most famous (and frankly best) users, said she would “completely block on the site” anyone who signed up for Twitter Blue. It goes back to when I said
It’s not just a joke now that the blue checkmark has lost its usefulness. Chrome extension (opens in new tab) This will automatically block Twitter Blue subscribers from appearing in your feed. But Sweeney, who founded Epic Games in 1991 and now has an estimated net worth of $7.6 billion, doesn’t think that’s the right path.
“People in this #BlockTheBlue (opens in new tab) The pressure campaign is losers and rogues,” Sweeney tweeted over the weekend. The elite-only verification system is terrible and has been criticized since 2018.
“An online community like this should be meritocracy, where everyone has an equal chance and benefits are earned instead of being anointed by corporations. I found a great representation of the best one came out on top.. Then someone with good intentions built a system to prevent spoofing with verification. It broke meritocracy with a policy that deemed it exclusive to users only, allowing Twitter employees to distribute verifications to their friends as a reward.
Such online communities should be meritocratic, where everyone has an equal chance and benefits are gained rather than anointed by corporations. Old-school Twitter represented great benefits in following and retweeting. Best rose on top.April 22, 2023
Sweeney made it clear that he doesn’t think the new system is all that great: What he really wants to see is “proper identity verification as a service like the old Twitter, but the new Twitter (or free) and open to everyone.” Such an option would represent “the best of both worlds.” Ideally, he also said, Twitter’s verification, curation and subscription systems would all work independently of each other. I was.
“My criticism is not directed at people who choose not to subscribe, but in favor of boycotting everyone who hasn’t boycotted Twitter.”
I’m confused. The value of the blue check was destroyed by subscription programs that let anyone with $8 and a phone get one. Sweeney lamented his prediction of increased political polarization as a result of the campaign, lamenting that “people who signed up for democratized Twitter verification were bullied into quitting and accusing them of being part of your ‘fellowship’.” I said that it aims to “make it feel”, but I think it’s the opposite of famous. XKCDComic (opens in new tab) On Free Speech: Don’t be surprised if you invite the worst people over to your house and other people leave.
Musk’s reaction to the weekend’s #BlocktheBlue campaign didn’t inspire confidence in his ability to plan a rationale: Rather than address legitimate criticism, some celebrities were forced to dissuade people. started returning blue checks without my knowledge or permission. From automatic blocking of blue-checked subscribers. This gave me numbers like this: Jamal Khashoggi (opens in new tab), Anthony Bourdain (opens in new tab), Chris Cornell (opens in new tab)and Norm Macdonald (opens in new tab)— all dead — suddenly appear as active Twitter Blue subscribers. It is very embarrassing for those who have a sense of shame. But in Mr. Musk’s case, it had little visible effect, other than sparking a brief, entirely one-sided confrontation between him and Drill. This whole ridiculous ordeal is why Drill is now called “Slave of Awakening”.
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