LeBron Won't Pay For Blue Checkmark As Twitter Braces For Major Change To Verification System

LeBron James... he's just like us?

The NBA all-time leading scorer announced on Friday that he won't be paying for Twitter's new controversial Twitter Blue verification program.

LEGACY CHECKMARKS WILL BE REMOVED BEGINNING APRIL 1

"Welp, guess my blue will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain't paying the 5 ," James tweeted to his 52.8 million followers.

What's funny about this is that he almost became relatable until he had to go and ruin it by saying that he wouldn't fork over the money. $5 is nothing for a person who has career earnings of over $400 million. (It's actually $8 a month but let's not let facts get in the way of LeBron.)

Jokes and mocking aside, LeBron does have a legitimate point. Twitter users are currently having an absolute meltdown in light of significant changes that may have a dramatic impact on the service moving forward.

TWITTER BLUE WILL COST $8 A MONTH

Beginning April 1, Twitter will begin removing legacy blue checkmarks that had typically been used for "verified" accounts. Instead, the service will make users pay $8 a month for their Twitter Blue subscription program if one wants to retain a checkmark.

For companies that want to keep their verification, they will have to pay $1,000 monthly and will now have a gold check mark, while official government agencies will have a grey one.

Essentially, Elon Musk is changing the meaning of what "Verified" actually means. Previously, it had been not only that the account holder is who they claim they are, but it also gave a sense of legitimacy in that they were a somebody.

Now, "Verified" pretty much means that they are a human being and not a bot.

Anyone and everyone can be a part of the Twitter Blue program and receive a blue checkmark. The repercussions of this are huge as typically the best way to tell if information was real or not was if it came from a blue check mark account. The fact that now some mouth-breathers in their parent's basement will have the same check mark as legitimate sources of news has become a major source of contention

In addition to the blue checkmark, Twitter Blue users will also have a specified "For You" tab that includes other verified users, will be able to vote in polls, and will also be allowed to upload longer videos.

MANY ARE NOT HAPPY

It's not just LeBron James who isn't pleased.

Some news organizations have vowed not to pay for the check mark arguing that the new service has stripped them of any authority.

The White House has announced they will not opt-in for Twitter Blue and said they wouldn't reimburse any staffers who choose to pay for the program either.

Meanwhile, celebrities like William Shatner, Jason Alexander of Seinfeld-fame and even Monica Lewinsky aren't pleased with the changes.

WILL PEOPLE ACTUALLY PURCHASE TWITTER BLUE?

What's shocking is that for the first time in forever, I actually agree with LeBron James.

I joined Twitter back in 2008. I'm an O.G. I've lived through all the eras of the service; the layout and design changes, the added features and longer character limits, the introduction of photos and tagging people on them and plenty more.

There are literally millions of Twitter users that agree with me and I guess LeBron now too. Elon Musk may think that he's trying to pull a fast-one on Twitter users, but unfortunately it may backfire.

If there's one thing about the Internet, it remains stubbornly undefeated. We shall see what happens and what the legacy of Twitter will be very soon.

Written by
Mike “Gunz” Gunzelman has been involved in the sports and media industry for over a decade. He’s also a risk taker - the first time he ever had sushi was from a Duane Reade in Penn Station in NYC.