Elon Musk's reply on Twitter vs Threads parody post inadvertently highlights the issue with Twitter Blue verification

Twitter Blue's paid verification is failing to verify real accounts from parody ones. The latest person to unintentionally point it out is Elon Musk on a Twitter vs Threads post. While the account in question clearly mentions its imitation of the profile name due to its similarity with the name, profile picture, and, most importantly, a verification badge, many, including Musk, were quick to point out users are often mistaken about its authenticity.

The blue tick verification badge has become synonymous with modern-age social media. Across all major social media platforms, be it Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube (a grey tick in this case), the badge is meant to guide users regarding the profile's authenticity and filter out bots and imitators.

Late last year, following his acquisition of the social media platform, Musk introduced the Twitter Blue verification subscription, where users can have a verified profile, amongst other features. Unfortunately, this has led to bots and imitators gaining access to the blue tick and losing all meaning of the "verification badge.''

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Elon Musk highlights the issue with Twitter Blue verification in a Twitter vs Threads parody post

While the issue with the platform's verification isn't new, the latest person to point it out is none other than the Twitter boss himself, Elon Musk. He did so in response to a tweet regarding the allegations against Threads by a parody account imitating him.

The parody profile recently tweeted regarding the platform's allegations against's Meta's Threads app of copying technology, calling Mark Zuckerburg 'Lizard boy' and inviting him to a cage fight.

While most of the user base understood its parody, some did not. Musk, who is quite active on the platform, replied:

As many users were quick to point out, this highlights the issue with verifying every account with a Twitter Blue subscription, thus losing its meaning of authenticity.

While Musk later pointed out that if the account name clearly states it is a parody, which in this case it does, then the account should not be blamed for users failing to understand its authenticity.

However, in many instances where the name is cut off for being too long or the platform having a character display limitation, users fail to notice the parody status in the name.

Some examples of this include users believing Elon Musk has tuned into Pakistani politician Imran Khan's Space or American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez commenting on a post. In both instances, they were parody accounts.

When Elon Musk introduced the Twitter Blue verification late last year, it was a way of opening up the verification process to everyone. Unfortunately, this has led to it losing the meaning of 'verification' and the blue tick being a symbol of authenticity.

Many users have suggested solutions to this issue, such as mandating the account type 'parody' or 'bot' at the start of the name instead of at the end or having a badge clearly distinguishing its status.

The platform's latest competitor, Threads, has had a strong debut. As a platform by Meta, its verification is linked with that of the other Meta apps like Instagram and Facebook.

Hopefully, Musk will address the issue soon, distinguishing between the authenticity of an account.