got to thinking about the way things are going on twitter, specifically about how people seem to be reacting to the Blue Checkmark fiasco.
there was a whirlwind of reactions and interpretations of the $8 verification badge. Some assumed off the bat, according to Musk's fucked up way of delivering information (namely that he says shit off the cuff without thinking), that users who didn't have the Checkmark would be effectively shadowbanned, scrubbed off of Twitter almost entirely thanks to algorithmic influence. others found out that the checkmark wouldn't really change much in the grand scheme of things, it would just separate Checkmark users from the unverified users in your notifications.
but now there's a third wing of people reacting to bird site's weird policy shifts; people who've built browser extensions to pinpoint who has a verification badge for being verified, and who paid for the badge. no doubt these kinds of tools will be used to stoke yet another hatemob towards many, many innocent targets - independent artists who were fooled into believing they'd lose clientele and fall out of algorithmic favor if they aren't verified, or want the verification badge to confirm their credibility, among other things.
it gives me a lot of concern. i'm one of those people who can easily get whipped up into the frenzy, but this time around i saw the other side - the artists who paid for verification out of necessity - pretty quickly. they're just scared people who can't afford to lose their income.
it just seems fuckin weird being on the outside looking in for once, seeing all these reactions to the bird site and watching how easily people can be driven to irrationality and aggression so quickly. it's... concerning.



