Following Twitter’s introduction of charges for ‘verified’ checkmarks, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company has announced that it will also be introducing a ‘verified’ charge of $11.99 in the future.
Cybersecurity experts at VPNOverview.com have analyzed Google Trends data from earlier this year. The data shows that after Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram announced plans for a subscription service on the platforms search interest for the terms ‘deactivate Instagram and ‘deactivate Facebook’ rose sharply.
Search interest for ‘Deactivate Instagram after Meta’s new subscription service:
Search interest for ‘Deactivate Facebook’ after Meta’s new subscription service:
The data shows that search interest for ‘Deactivate Instagram’ has increased by 1,566% and the search interest for ‘Deactivate Facebook’ had an increase of 1,900%.
The new service would allow for paying customers to become ‘Meta verified’ and this would allow for priority commenting and customer service.
Following this model could mean that the extra charge would allow businesses to utilize social media in a new way. The priority commenting could lead to a business being able to reach out to potential customers directly, with their comments appearing first.
Though the initial spike has now passed, any type of subscription service offering priority or premium levels has its risks. The public might not be willing to pay for a platform that has historically been free to use for all. This makes Meta appear to be cozying up to big business instead of looking to improve the service for all.
Chris Bluvshtein, a spokesperson for VPNOverview.com claims that “social media has allowed people to stay in touch with each other even if they’re in different countries.” He then went on to state that “across the various platforms, some are supported by non-personalized ads alongside a premium plan and others are now introducing subscriptions to remain profitable for investors. With more social media companies adopting strategies like this, it will be interesting to see in the future if the landscape will change and become fragmented as opposed to the centralized model we have now”.
Does the implementation of these new subscriptions deter you from continuing to use the platforms? Should anybody be able to receive that blue checkmark of verification? Audiences are fickle, and with competitive platforms abounding, time will tell if users accept the new status quo from Meta.
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