The Chief Twit may now be better known as the Chief Troll after billionaire Elon Musk deftly outflanked leftist Twitter users like economist Paul Krugman who insisted they were “definitely not paying” for a blue check.
Musk’s efforts to make the social media company he acquired functional and profitable have often found the most pushback from elites who had long found a status advantage on the platform. However, the status quo was rocked when the tech mogul announced he would be eliminating all legacy blue checks, those with their identity confirmed free of charge, in favor of a new profitable system for the monthly rate of $8.
Hissy fits spread across the internet when Musk actually went through with it Thursday, followed swiftly by hilarity as a new virtue signal was born.
Inexplicably, certain public figures began to have their checks reinstated. Among them was Krugman who insisted, “So my blue check has reappeared. I had nothing to do with that, and am definitely not paying.”
Replying to the economist, Musk summed up the sentiment of the building #BlockTheBlue trend with an image of a crying baby adorned with a Twitter checkmark on its bib.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 23, 2023
Krugman wasn’t alone in throwing a fit over having his legacy status reinstated as Musk began giving out checks like the bartender in “It’s a Wonderful Life” giving out wings.
In particular, it appeared the move was directly targeting those participating in the aforementioned #BlockTheBlue movement that were blocking any account that seemingly paid the $8 fee. Mashable’s Matt Binder promoted the movement only to find that his own check was reinstated earning him the same shunning that he had been calling for against others.
As one person wrote, “I don’t like this either, Matt. Get yourself clean and then we’ll follow you again.
new from me: some of Twitter's most popular accounts are going full steam ahead with #BlockTheBlue, a campaign to block all users paying $8 to Elon Musk for a blue checkmark@dril, @Eve6, and @BlockTheBlue tell me why they block the blue: https://t.co/FfB8bpzfIg
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) April 21, 2023
Sorry bro, thems the rules. pic.twitter.com/tV49FAcIgU
— BROPOTKIN™️ by blackhart (@peterbropotkin) April 22, 2023
I’m sorry Matt, but it needs to be done. pic.twitter.com/HZZ2V1pTcU
— Garrett (@Garzard27) April 22, 2023
I don’t like this either, Matt. Get yourself clean and then we’ll follow you again pic.twitter.com/4EEJloSVOq
— J.Stokes (@JohnFrancisStok) April 22, 2023
Binder wasn’t the only one feeling the brunt as others began to realize that their checkmarks were being restored triggering the same cultish fealty to the mob professing “I’ve paid nothing.”
“Friends told me my blue verified check was restored,” actor Jason Alexander wrote Saturday after insisting he was living the platform. “Don’t know why. I’ve paid nothing. I gave no number. @StephenKing reported the same. My account remains so no one steals the account name. And I can tell you this madness hasn’t happened on Insta or Spoutible.”
Friends told me my blue verified check was restored. Dont know why. I've paid nothing. I gave no number. @StephenKing reported same. My account remains so no one steals the account name. And I can tell you this madness hasn't happened on Insta or Spoutible.
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) April 22, 2023
Though Musk offered no detailed explanation on what was taking place across his social media platform, he did offer a comment in more than one way.
First, in response to the suggestion that he had trolled “the ‘Block The Blue’ movement by giving their biggest proponents Twitter Blue,” Musk replied “A troll, me??” with a laughing emoji.
A troll, me?? 🤣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 22, 2023
Then, to really send the message home, he had changed the location from which he was tweeting to a place called “Trollheim.”
And changes location to “trollheim” pic.twitter.com/K7ZsRWXwy3
— T(w)itter Daily News (@TitterDaily) April 22, 2023
OMG – this is exactly what they are acting like. “He took it away, gave it back and now I don’t want it”. https://t.co/rRut40i8FR
— Eva • TXLakeGirl (@TXlakegirl2021) April 23, 2023
The richest man in the world is spending his Saturday giving ticks to people who specifically said they do not want a tick.
— Arkenor (@Arkenor) April 22, 2023
— JEREMYWEB DESIGN (@theJeremySchmit) April 23, 2023
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