Meta has recently announced the launch of a verification subscription service, similar in nature to Twitter Blue. The service, which debuts this week, is set to charge between $12 and $15 per month, and will offer ID verification, a blue badge, user experience enhancements, and a sense of exclusivity. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, announced the service on his broadcast channel, which is a new Instagram feature akin to Telegram channels that were recently rolled out. This, in effect, means that Meta is emulating one platform via its own copy of another platform. Such moves have sparked concerns that radical changes are afoot across the internet.
Many observers, myself included, have poked fun at Elon Musk’s impulsive attempts to monetize Twitter. However, if other platforms adopt similar policies, we may soon see the end of the era of free web services. Musk himself appears to believe this, referring to the introduction of Meta Verified as “inevitable.” Such a move has inevitably drawn comparisons to other online services that require payment in order to enhance account security.
Twitter, for example, has recently put its text message-based two-factor authentication behind its Blue paywall. While this move may seem counter-intuitive to some security analysts, who contend that SMS-based two-factor authentication is susceptible to more attacks than dedicated authenticator apps, many Twitter users may feel compelled to sign up for Blue if they believe that it is necessary to safeguard their accounts. It is possible that in just a few short years, we may be waxing nostalgic for the days when internet platforms were entirely free, and our personal information was instead being commodified by advertisers.
On a related note, TikTok has recently announced a new creativity program, which promises to provide higher earnings for creators who can produce videos that exceed one minute in length. This may seem like basic film school stuff, but it underscores just how much TikTok has evolved since its launch six years ago, when videos were limited to just 15 seconds. Today, thirst traps coexist alongside clips from “Family Guy” and “Endless Runner” mobile games. The creativity program, however, requires high-quality original content in order to qualify for increased remuneration. Perhaps our old friend, capitalism, can ultimately help to address some of the issues that its more nefarious twin, capitalism engendered. It is like a battle between good and evil, or, as they say, spy versus spy.
