Why I Haven’t Signed Up For Twitter Blue

I have been closely following my Twitter (or X as some people insist on calling it) account since the introduction of Twitter Blue (now just called Blue). I’m not adverse to paying for it but have yet to identify enough benefits to justify purchasing it.

Twitter Blue is relatively new but the “blue tick” predates Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. The blue tick was originally used to verify legitimate accounts of high profile individuals and organizations who were most susceptible to copycat accounts. Think about all the Keanu Reeves accounts you’ve seen over the years.

Twitter’s official position is that Twitter Blue is intended to improve the quality of conversation on the platform and reduce the fake or untrustworthy accounts. The reality is that the platform is struggling and Musk is looking for ways to make it more profitable. In fact, a large number of fake and paying accounts began to appear impersonating high profile individuals and organizations. So, that level of protection has been lost.

When Twitter Blue was introduced, the platform listed a number of inducements to get users to pay. Not long after, nonpaying accounts saw service levels reduced. In other words, disincentives to having a free account. Every cutback in service has been blamed on bots and fake accounts. The reality is that Twitter is “verifying” fake accounts by accepting their payments. I wouldn’t be surprised if Twitter will be even more relunctant to suspend an account that has subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Let’s look at the perks of Twitter Blue. The Twitter Blue algorithm prioritizes content, replies and mentions from Twitter Blue subscribers, meaning they will experience increased visibility. Longer tweets are provided to subscribers (up to 10,000 characters) and longer videos.

The reality is increased visibility and reach will be limited. Higher ranking of tweets does not necessarily equate to increased reach. And longer tweets will not necessarily improve engagement. On social media, clear and concise posts are always better when your audience is scrolling through their feed. A 280-character tweet takes seconds to read. Social media has affected people’s attention span. I don’t want people scrolling past my tweets because they are long.

Then I look at my own experience. I recently looked at my analytics and found that in the past month, my impressions had grown by 56.7% despite a 84.4% drop in tweets. My followers have also grown. Why do I need to subscribe to Twitter Blue if I seem to be reaching more people?

In the end, users need to do what’s best for them. I bet someone at Twitter is constantly mucking around with the algorithm so that’s something I don’t worry about. I can’t really control it. So for now, I’m not going to pay for Twitter Blue. But Twitter is undergoing constant change so my perspective may change as well.