Instagram; a photo and video-sharing platform is set to launch a paid blue tick service.
The blue tick will be introduced on the social sharing application Instagram in exchange for money.
A developer reportedly uncovered the presence of paid verification in Instagram’s source code which would allow users to receive the coveted ‘blue tick’ next to their name to indicate that they are a verified account.
This is coming months after Twitter CEO, Elon Musk introduced the ‘Twitter Blue’ verification which offers similar benefits to users of the microblogging platform.
Meta has experienced a significant loss of advertising revenue, with an approximate hit of $10 billion last year, the introduction of the paid blue tick is probably a move by the tech giant to make money as the feature is going to be rolled out across Meta-owned platforms.
In the US, Canada, Australia, and a few other nations, Twitter presently costs $8 per month for its Blue subscription, which includes a verified badge.
Only high-profile people, celebrities, and international businesses or entities are currently eligible for the blue badge, which has created a multibillion-dollar market for fraudulent verification.
The biggest issue with Twitter’s early implementation of its paid verification mechanism was impersonation. It would be interesting to observe how Instagram implements its premium verification and whether users are willing to fork over money for it.
Only individuals who are well-known in their industries are now given the blue Instagram tick, and similarly, verified status is given to the accounts of corporations that share their information with them and are well-known.
The announcement that Instagram will sell blue ticks for money comes as Twitter is getting set to expand its service to additional nations, including Pakistan.
Techcrunch reports that although the option is not yet present on the program, developers had reportedly spotted the ability to offer a blue tick service on Instagram for quick cash.
It will probably take at least six months to deploy the feature that will allow Instagram users to sell their blue tick services.
This feature’s monthly cost will probably remain between $5 and $8.
