Tumblr mocks Twitter verification with “Important Blue Internet Checkmarks”

The ability to purchase a blue checkmark on Twitter has stirred a good deal of controversy on the popular social media platform, and Tumblr has capitalized on that by offering blue checkmarks of their own.

Recent changes at Twitter have caused some unrest on the platform. Allowing users to pay for a verification check via Twitter Blue has brought its fair share of controversy.

Users are paying for verification and impersonating celebrities and other big names on Twitter. While it’s still possible to distinguish who is and isn’t verified upon closer inspection of someone’s account, the impact of that twitter verification has been somewhat lessened.

Tumblr has mocked Twitter in the form of one-upmanship by offering not one, but two checkmarks that users can put on their blog for the same price as Twitter Blue, $7.99 USD.

Tumblr now offers two blue checkmarks for users

Before Twitter Blue, getting a verification check mark on Twitter was a fairly rigorous process. Not only did users require proof of identity, but also a way to verify their importance in their field.

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter came with a plan to monetize this part of Twitter, and the fact that users can see whether or not an account has been verified via traditional means hasn’t stopped some users from impersonating others by purchasing a checkmark.

To make fun of the situation, Tumblr has offered its own alternative: Important Blue Internet Checkmarks.

Tumblr claims that two checkmarks are “a steal at $7.99”, a direct jab at Twitter Blue’s pricing. And this isn’t just a joke, either. Important Blue Internet Checkmarks can be directly purchased by Tumblr users.

Upon clicking the link in the tweet, Tumblr users are given the option to purchase checkmarks that attach to their blog.

Users that purchase these blue checkmarks are assured that they can “be an important person on the internet!”, and that they’ll “stand out from the rest by displaying not one, but two blue checkmarks next to your blog name.”

The implementation of this new feature has come with some side effects, chief among them being that these blue checkmarks stack. Users willing to pay multiple times can get more and more check marks next to their name.

While the implementation of check marks is sure to sow its own seeds of chaos on Tumblr, there’s no verification attached to the checkmarks. It’s only, as the Tumblr announcement puts it, a “coveted status symbol”.