Elon Musk kills 'Official' tag, gray tick soon after rollout
Changes have now become the norm at Twitter. If you blink, you might miss what the platform did. This time, hours after rolling out the gray tick and the "Official" tag, Twitter has decided to roll it back. It was introduced to distinguish high-profile accounts from those with blue check marks. However, it seems that the backlash from users has forced the change.
Why does this story matter?
Elon Musk is reshaping Twitter to be what he envisions. The problem is, no one knows what Musk's vision for Twitter is. This means we are bound to see many features coming and going at the same pace. Confusion will be the norm for a while at least. The question is, will Twitter come out of this phase unscathed?
The gray check marks vanished soon after they appeared
The gray check mark was announced by Esther Crawford, Twitter's head of Early Stage Products. It was introduced as a way to verify government accounts, companies, and public figures, among others. After her announcement, the gray tick began to appear on several accounts. Surprisingly, soon after that, they began to vanish as well. Elon Musk, the new CEO, said, "I just killed it."
Why did Twitter remove the gray tick?
The gray tick was announced to provide clarity about high-profile accounts. However, once it appeared, it led to more confusion than clarity. As it appeared along with the blue tick, many users were confused about its purpose. To make matters worse, in the mobile dark mode, the blue check mark appears grayish. It could be easily confused with the gray badge.
'Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months'
Musk had something to say about Twitter introducing and then removing the gray badge in the span of a few hours. He wrote, "Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. We will keep what works and change what doesn't."
Gray check marks create a two-class system: Musk
Later, at a Twitter Spaces event, Musk spoke about gray check marks. He said, "The problem with the Official check mark is that, other than being an aesthetic nightmare, it was just another way of creating a two-class system, therefore not addressing the core problem." He added that the company will be vigorous in eliminating "legacy blue check marks."
Is this it for gray check marks?
Although Twitter pulled back gray check marks, this won't be the end for them. Crawford said that the "official label is still going out as part of @TwitterBlue launch." She added that in the beginning, the primary focus will be on government and commercial entities. About Musk's comments, she said, "We're not focusing on giving individuals the "Official" label right now."
