Meta has now launched its paid verification subscription, “Meta Verified”. Here’s a quick lowdown on what’s happening.
Three months after the announcement of Twitter’s ‘Blue’, Meta has now launched its paid verification subscription, “Meta Verified”.
And, just like that, the debate that started with Twitter’s ‘Blue’ has been rekindled because these once-free credibility-based services are now being offered on a pay-to-play model.
All sorts of questions are doing the rounds on social media:
- Why would they do this?
- How much will it cost?
- What added benefits will we get if we pay?
- Are they really asking for our government ID cards for verification? What are the ramifications of this?
Here’s a quick lowdown on what’s happening:
Facebook and Twitter have long relied on making money off their free users through digital marketing and ads. Anyone who’s seen “The Social Dilemma” would recognize the refrain: “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product”.
Over the past few months, people have “woke”n up to the value of their data, and correspondingly, privacy policies around the globe - including the 2021 data & privacy changes announced by Apple - have made it more difficult for marketers to target their ads. Additionally, inflationary pressures and fears of a looming recession have further shrunk global ad spends, causing these global social media giants to forage for revenue streams elsewhere.
Their solutions = Paid subscribers. But are people biting the bait?
According to a report published by The Information in January 2023, Twitter ‘Blue’ had only 290,000 global subscribers for its $8 per month Blue verification ($11 for those signing up on an Apple iOS).
So, why would Meta take the same route? The company claims that the program is “about increasing authenticity and security.”
“Meta Verified” offers more than mere credibility checks. Those who sign up for Meta Verified at $11.99 on the web and $14.99 on iOS and Android will not only receive the verified badge and have their social identities protected from impersonation, but will also have their visibility and reach extended by the social media platforms within search, comments, and recommendations. This is a huge carrot for content creators. The cream on the cake is that Meta Verified users will also have access to customer care - an actual person (not an automated AI responder) who can help even with common account issues.
But what’s the catch?
To get verified, users must submit a government ID matching the profile name and photo of the Facebook or Instagram account. Clearly, this has opened the Pandora’s Box of debates and brought the conspiracy theorists out of the woodwork, as well, to assess the possible damage this could do to freedom of speech, privacy, customer profiling, and at worst cybersecurity and identity theft - many of which are genuine concerns.
