New Subscriptions for Meta The service looks familiar. For $11.99 to $14.99 a month, Instagram and Facebook users will get a blue “verified” badge, access to better security features and more visibility in search. Their comments will also be given priority.
The package has strong echoes of Twitter’s Blue subscription service, which has been launched under new owner Elon Musk, who has been actively trying to find ways to monetize his platform — most recently, by telling users they will Cannot use text-based two-factor authentication unless they subscribe.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta Verified in a post on his Instagram channel on Feb. 19, saying the service would roll out first in Australia and New Zealand “to improve the authenticity and security of our service. ”
Analysts said that while the move wasn’t entirely out of Meta’s character, it suggested a lack of innovation at the social media giant, which has laid off more than 11,000 workers since late last year and spent billions on a foray into the Metaverse. , a technology with no clear business model.
“Meta has always been replicated in their DNA—Instagram’s Reels is just one of a long list of prominent examples—so it’s not surprising to see Twitter get away with offering basic functionality as a premium service, and Zuckerberg is doing the same. Try to do the same,” said Tama Leaver, professor of Internet studies at Curtin University in Australia. “Meta’s move to replicate the Twitter feed model shows a glaring lack of new ideas… Meta has laid off staff and is spending big bucks building a Metaverse that no one seems interested in right now.”
While Meta has emphasized the security aspects of its subscription offerings, the fact that subscribers will gain greater visibility on the company’s platform marks a significant change for users.
Twitter’s attempts to make users pay for features, including more promotion through its algorithm, have been widely criticized, with many threatening to quit the platform, although there is no reliable data on how many have done so.
However, both Snapchat and Discord have also rolled out paid subscription tiers to users without sparking a similar level of outrage, suggesting that the distaste for Twitter Blue may have something to do with Musk himself and broader concerns about the platform.
“Meta has seen Snapchat, Discord, and Twitter launch their own subscription plans, which offer premium users additional features or benefits,” said social media analyst Matt Navarra, who first broke the news about Meta’s changes . The idea of paying for features that used to be free has started to become normalized, he said. “They’re less risky in terms of whether they’re going to succeed.”
Regardless, Navarra admitted he would not be buying verified identities from Meta. “I don’t think it’s worth it,” he said.
How much money Meta can raise through validation is unclear. Twitter has struggled to sell subscriptions to its Blue service, which The Information reports has fewer than 300,000 subscribers worldwide — which would bring in less than 1 percent of the $3 billion in revenue Musk wants the company to earn. %. The Meta family of apps (including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatApp) has almost 10 times as many monthly users as Twitter.
