After the users of Twitter, those of the Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram), will soon be able to display a blue badge, a guarantee of authenticity, and better promote their messages, for a dozen dollars per month.
The subscription update was unveiled by California company CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday after nearly 20 years of defending the economic model based on free services and advertising.
Meta Verified subscribers will be able to have their account verified on Facebook and Instagram by providing an official ID, and then displaying a “blue badge”, signaling that they are who they say they are. Their account will also be better protected against the risk of identity theft through proactive monitoring.
In the event of a problem, subscribers can contact customer service employees directly. And their messages, photos, and videos will be relayed better than others, appearing at the top of search results, comments, and recommendations. Meta also promises new creative features.
Content creators
The subscription will be available first in Australia and New Zealand this week, then will be extended to other countries, starting with the United States.
It will cost 11.99 dollars (11.22 euros) per month for users who subscribe to it on the web, and 14.99 dollars for those who use mobile applications (to compensate for the commission charged by Apple or Google on spending on smartphones or tablets).
Subscription is optional and the platforms remain free. Affected users must be at least 18 years old and companies are not allowed to access them, but Meta does not rule out enabling them in the future. The new offer is aimed primarily at content creators.
Meta told AFP that it developed Meta Verified based on requests from promising developers.
Influencers
For expert Carolina Milanesi, the formula lacks consistency, with features that meet the needs of different types of users: authentication for official organizations and personalities, promotion for influencers, and security that “should s ‘apply to all’.
It’s “an odd mix,” said a Creative Strategies analyst. “I’m not sure there’s enough for any class of people to justify the cost.”
Meta’s strategy is part of a context where historical social networks are seeing their number of users grow, and their revenues sink.