Another week, another series of hastily rolled out changes to Twitter that seemingly everyone is annoyed by. As Elon Musk continues to reshape the social media platform that he purchased for $44 billion in an attempt to find new revenue streams, the company has launched a massive overhaul of its verification system.
The famous “blue checkmarks,” which were originally given to high-profile users as a way of verifying that their accounts were linked to the actual person rather than an impersonator, have been retooled as an add-on that anyone can purchase. Furthermore, Musk has announced that verified users who opt not to pay for the service will have their checkmarks taken away in the coming weeks.
The topic has sparked plenty of discourse about how the move could make it easier to spread false information on Twitter — it even made its way to the Los Angeles premiere of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
In a red carpet interview with Variety, Jack Black offered his two cents about the changes taking place at the social media giant. The actor and comedian, who voices Bowser in the video game adaptation, made it clear that he has no interest in paying to be verified.
“I don’t know if I’m going to pay for it,” Black said. “I’m a little embarrassed by the blue check to be honest with you. Maybe it’s cooler not to have checks. It’s definitely not cool to pay for it. I’m gonna see what happens if I don’t pay for it. I’m gonna call his bluff, see if he really takes my check away.”
Black’s co-star Chris Pratt, who voices Mario in the upcoming animated film, offered a slightly more diplomatic answer when he was asked a similar question.
“I don’t know,” Pratt said when asked if he plans to pay to keep his Twitter verification. “I care deeply about all of [my followers]. I’ll do whatever I have to do to stay a part of their lives because I respect their attention and I love to use it as an opportunity to talk to them when I’m doing movies and stuff.”
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opens in theaters on Wednesday, April 5.
The famous “blue checkmarks,” which were originally given to high-profile users as a way of verifying that their accounts were linked to the actual person rather than an impersonator, have been retooled as an add-on that anyone can purchase. Furthermore, Musk has announced that verified users who opt not to pay for the service will have their checkmarks taken away in the coming weeks.
The topic has sparked plenty of discourse about how the move could make it easier to spread false information on Twitter — it even made its way to the Los Angeles premiere of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
In a red carpet interview with Variety, Jack Black offered his two cents about the changes taking place at the social media giant. The actor and comedian, who voices Bowser in the video game adaptation, made it clear that he has no interest in paying to be verified.
“I don’t know if I’m going to pay for it,” Black said. “I’m a little embarrassed by the blue check to be honest with you. Maybe it’s cooler not to have checks. It’s definitely not cool to pay for it. I’m gonna see what happens if I don’t pay for it. I’m gonna call his bluff, see if he really takes my check away.”
Black’s co-star Chris Pratt, who voices Mario in the upcoming animated film, offered a slightly more diplomatic answer when he was asked a similar question.
“I don’t know,” Pratt said when asked if he plans to pay to keep his Twitter verification. “I care deeply about all of [my followers]. I’ll do whatever I have to do to stay a part of their lives because I respect their attention and I love to use it as an opportunity to talk to them when I’m doing movies and stuff.”
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opens in theaters on Wednesday, April 5.