Cristiano Ronaldo one of the world’s most prominent athletes has been stripped of his blue tick on Twitter as part of Elon Musk’s recent changes to the social media platform.
The tech billionaire completed a $44 billion takeover of Twitter in October, and he made it clear that he intended to change the app’s approach.
One of the most significant changes made by Musk was the introduction of a subscription-based service called ‘Twitter Blue’.
This service provides a range of extra perks to users, including verification, which has traditionally been denoted by a blue tick. However, under the new system, verification now costs $8 per month.
As a result of this change, many high-profile celebrities and athletes, including Ronaldo, have lost their blue ticks.
Ronaldo’s profile does not contain a blue tick and there’s no word on whether the Portuguese superstar will be reapplying.
A fan told City teammate Laporte to pay the fee as he is “rich” but the Spain international hit back, replying: “That’s not the point tho I’m not paying for something that was perfectly fine before some crazy dude decided to change everything lol.”
While some have speculated that this move was made as part of an effort to generate more revenue for Twitter, Musk has denied this, stating that the changes were made to improve the platform’s overall user experience.
Despite the controversy surrounding the new system, there are some who believe that it could ultimately prove to be a positive development for Twitter.
By offering users the option of paying for extra features, the company is able to generate additional revenue, which could be used to fund improvements to the platform. Additionally, the new verification system could help to address some of the issues around fake accounts and online harassment, which have been a persistent problem on Twitter.
However, it remains to be seen whether Twitter Blue will be successful in the long term. While some users may be willing to pay for extra features, others may be put off by the idea of having to pay for something that was previously free.
Additionally, the introduction of a subscription-based service could lead to a further divide between those who can afford to pay for extra features and those who cannot.
For now, the removal of the blue tick from Ronaldo’s Twitter account serves as a stark reminder of the changes that are taking place on the platform.
As Twitter continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these changes are received by users, and whether they ultimately prove to be beneficial for the platform as a whole.