The Importance of Verification: A New Approach by Meta

When it comes to social media platforms, verification is often touted as a way to establish credibility and authenticity for users. However, the process of verification can be fraught with issues, particularly on platforms like Twitter where it has been bungled. In contrast, Meta (formerly Facebook) has taken a more nuanced approach by introducing a verified badge that requires users to provide some form of identification.

This move by Meta is a step in the right direction, as it adds a layer of accountability to the verification process. By requiring users to furnish some kind of identification, Meta is creating a system where the badge is not just a symbol of status, but also a tangible representation of the user's identity. This change is particularly significant for creators who rely on social media platforms for their livelihoods.

The benefits of this new approach are multifaceted. For one, it provides users with a sense of security and authenticity, knowing that their profile information is verified through a third-party process. Moreover, the verification badge comes with priority support, which can be a huge boon for power users who often find themselves lost in the shuffle. As someone who has experienced this firsthand, having access to priority support can make all the difference when navigating the complexities of social media.

Furthermore, the fact that Meta is offering a paid subscription service for the verification badge is a savvy move. By providing value-added services like priority support, Meta is creating a win-win situation for both users and the platform itself. The paid aspect also serves as a deterrent to those who would try to game the system by claiming to be someone they're not.

However, it's worth noting that this approach may not be suitable for everyone. Casual users who don't see themselves as "creators" or "power users" might find the process of verification and paying for the badge unnecessary. In these cases, the verification badge can be seen as a status symbol rather than a genuine representation of identity.

In contrast, platforms like Twitter have been criticized for their lack of transparency and accountability in verifying user identities. The company's approach to verification has been marred by controversy and confusion, leading many to question its commitment to authenticity and credibility. By adopting Meta's approach, these platforms can learn from the successes and pitfalls of a well-designed verification system.

Ultimately, the importance of verification lies in creating a culture of trust and accountability on social media platforms. As we move forward, it's essential that platforms prioritize this aspect of user experience, whether through paid subscription services or other means. By doing so, they can create a more secure and authentic online environment for users of all stripes.

The Benefits of Verification for Creators

For creators who rely on social media platforms for their livelihoods, the verification badge offers a range of benefits. Not only does it provide a sense of authenticity and credibility, but it also comes with priority support – a valuable resource that can make all the difference in navigating the complexities of social media.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to build a following on social media, I can attest to the importance of having access to priority support. When faced with challenges or questions about my online presence, having a dedicated team to turn to can be a huge relief. The verification badge is not just a symbol of status; it's also a tangible representation of the creator's identity and commitment to authenticity.

Moreover, the fact that Meta is offering a paid subscription service for the verification badge can help level the playing field for creators. By providing access to priority support, Meta is creating a more inclusive environment where users can thrive without being held back by technical issues or lack of knowledge.

However, it's essential to note that this approach may not be suitable for every creator. Some may find the process of verification and paying for the badge unnecessary or too costly. In these cases, the benefits of the verification badge must be weighed against the costs and potential drawbacks.

The Value of Verification in the Digital Age

In today's digital age, verification is more important than ever. With the rise of social media platforms and online communities, it's easier than ever to create a persona or identity that may not entirely reflect one's true self. The importance of verification lies in creating a culture of trust and accountability on these platforms.

By requiring users to provide some form of identification, Meta is taking a crucial step towards establishing credibility and authenticity. This approach can have far-reaching consequences, not only for individual users but also for the broader online community.

Moreover, the fact that Meta is offering a paid subscription service for the verification badge highlights the value that creators place on this aspect of user experience. By providing access to priority support, Meta is creating a more inclusive environment where users can thrive without being held back by technical issues or lack of knowledge.

However, as we move forward, it's essential to recognize that verification is not a silver bullet solution to all problems on social media platforms. Rather, it's one aspect of a broader effort to create a culture of trust and accountability online. By combining verification with other measures, such as algorithmic transparency and community moderation, these platforms can build a more secure and authentic online environment for users of all stripes.

The Future of Verification: Lessons from Meta

As we look to the future of social media platforms, it's essential that we learn from Meta's approach to verification. By combining authenticity and credibility with a paid subscription service, Meta has created a system that rewards creators and provides value-added services to its users.

However, this approach also highlights the importance of nuance and context in understanding the role of verification on social media platforms. Rather than viewing verification as a straightforward solution to all problems, we must recognize its limitations and potential drawbacks.

By adopting Meta's approach and learning from its successes and pitfalls, these platforms can create a more secure and authentic online environment for users of all stripes. As we move forward, it's essential that we prioritize authenticity, credibility, and accountability – not just as a means to an end but as a fundamental aspect of user experience on social media platforms.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhello Galaxy I'm Chris Perillo and in Tech news today meta AKA Facebook the owners of Instagram and every other popular app on the planet seemingly has decided to roll out verification features that you can pay for Hmm this sounds familiar doesn't it yeah apparently they're doing it and that's of course stirred up controversy because they're not the first company to charge for verification but there's some caveats here and I want to talk through it because I don't think it's as bad an idea as some people have been making it out to be I mean there's some people are always going to push back for paying for anything like you just you can't listen to those folks you really can't there are people who don't like Facebook fine that's your prerogative there are people who don't like Services they don't want to buy into no problem I will also say this if you find Value in something absolutely pay for it support it in the way that you want to support it that's that's key that's critical so just because I don't want to buy something doesn't mean you shouldn't want to buy something and vice versa right I think we have enough healthy respect for boundaries to understand that my choices may not be yours so this is less about the conversation around choice and more about how is this different or do you perceive it as different I've got my take you probably have yours feel free to drop a comment it's a good conversation to certainly have behind me you can see the live stream at live.parillo.com you can join fellow geeks nerds 24 7 playing video games right now we have three people playing Minecraft at the same time on the same screen live.purillo.com oh yes it still exists that'll redirect you to where the live video feeds happening on Twitch currently rolled out the idea of paying eight dollars a month for a verification status right I use air quotes specifically because it's not really verification apart from verifying that you have eight dollars of monthly discretionary income that's it that's all you're verifying you're not verifying you're human you're not verifying you're a company you're just verifying that you have eight dollars to throw around and you get some features cool I'm fine with that I was okay with paying for Twitter blue for a month now this is before Elon took over but after a month I I I think was maybe even a week into paying what was it was it five dollars originally uh I can't even remember but it was largely to edit tweets and again I use air quotes because it was just a catastrophic rollout of a basic feature and I was like this is not worth paying for so I haven't paid for for Twitter uh from the beginning I see absolutely no reason for me to currently pay for Twitter because even with the value of a badge even if I did not have a legacy verification status it's not it's not enough like that's just it's not enough now if they start really truly rolling out features like you will absolutely show up more frequently in a feed or you will absolutely be prioritized in this way shape or form then yeah it becomes a little more valuable to me because I do still use Twitter I have no problem paying Twitter for something and I know some people are going to be angry at that right but it's it's got to be value relative to me understand though my biggest pushback with the idea that a blue badges quote unquote verification on Twitter it's because you're not verifying anything there's what are you verifying like I said nothing you're verifying nothing apart from you having money to spend and you're interested in having spent that money on Twitter to get a blue badge as they call it right the blue check whatever uh so at some point in the future I may very well go down that path as well but it's got to be able to deliver value to me now the value to you is a status symbol okay cool let's again you're paying for that you're saying you have the money to throw around specifically for a status symbol it it but it's asinine sorry let me reframe that Beyond asinine to call a blue check at this stage a quote-unquote verification badge you're not verified now let's move to the meta conversation right so Zuckerberg comes out today and so well the time of this recording uh and says hey we're gonna be rolling out a verification badge or effectively a blue badge on on meta as well and when he says meta it's Facebook and it's Instagram now I am verified I am Legacy verified on those platforms because I've had some problems with people coming along and saying they were me when they weren't really me so I've gone through the process of actually providing you know information to be able to verify and validate my status I had to do that for Twitter as well for whatever it's worth so I have been truly verified not necessarily newly ver quote unquote verified so they're rolling it out meta and they're not just saying hey you can pay 15 a month if you're on iOS there's the Apple tax I assume and I'd also assume that would also apply for Android though they didn't mention Android in this brief announcement or 12 on quote unquote the web or I assumedly a desktop Mac PC whatever uh so you would if you wanted to buy into it you would probably not want to buy into it directly on iOS because you can save three dollars a month so here's the thing they're doing differently and this is a clear differentiator and it goes to my original complaint and many people's original complaint with Twitter it's not paying for it pay for what you want but call it what it is now meta this is the differentiator is going to if you want to do this you have to furnish a ID you have to you actually have to give them identification they said this is me this is what I pay here's ID here you go here's my ID you got it you got it you got to do it if you want if you want that you got to do it so it is more truly verification because you have to provide uh you know some form of a valid ID in order to get that badge now I'm sure some people are going to cheat it they're going to figure out a way around the system but at least at least they are taking that step that is that I feel was the way it should have been done with Twitter wasn't done because of course that would have taken work and you know how are you gonna how are you gonna get people to work when you've already shrunk your Workforce at Twitter like my magnitudes I don't know So Meta I believe is going the right direction they're laying out features that could very well help in the sense that yes you can get verified sorry I just knocked a little Lego set onto the ground there this is the problem when you are Italian and gesticulate wildly I'll be building that later live when we record tldr on live.parilla.com uh so you're you're paying for the badge but you're also proving that the badge that you get on meta AKA Facebook and Instagram is is true it is a true verification badge because you had to furnish some kind of identification but you also get priority support that's a big deal so you know the problem they even creators like me have sometimes we get lost in the shuffle and we need help and being able to pay for support if you use those platforms is a valid reason to pay I don't that's absolutely like I mean there are times that I would ask for these companies if you know that I use their services for free I'm like hey can I pay you to get like service like and help instead of getting lost in the shovel so that is a a huge Boon for everybody if you happen to be a power user now I don't know a lot of Facebook power users I mean they they are out there and there are people who do it certainly for Facebook groups a lot of people are still very active in Facebook groups but many creators I've got notifications going off left and right um many creators use Instagram Instagram's very very popular I may not use it as frequently as they do I do Post reels there in the shorts and everything and I do post photos as well but I don't want to get into the algorithm talk it's another topic for another another day uh they use Instagram so for creators to be able to step through the process to get priority support that's a big deal so if you're a Creator I feel that this is a it's a wise decision or would be a wise business decision to spend the money to be quote unquote verified on meta now if you don't fine like if you're not you don't you just you're just a casual user it doesn't make any sense it's just that at that point it's a status symbol but there's a Stark dark contrast between what Facebook's doing with paying for verification and the value they're providing and how they're going about applying that verification and that process as opposed to how Twitter I believe has just completely bungled the idea it was a good idea you know and and hopefully more value will be pumped into the the uh the the verification system and I use that in loose terms when it comes to Twitter uh over time I I do hope for more value because I I would be Bae I would like to pay into that I would like to be able to I'm sitting here I'm not hating on it I'm just saying look let's be real let's let's be honest let's be direct about this and I was I was direct about this and I have been direct about it and someone I feel got their feelings hurt on Twitter like look verification just means you're just verify on Twitter you're just verified to have spent eight dollars a month great verification on meta and it's not a challenge of paying for something that you want but call it what it is better verification on meta you've already stepped through the process and you get value out of it because you get priority support and all the other benefits they're probably going to be enumerating over the the coming months if not years so this is interesting because I'd imagine more platforms if they haven't already and I hadn't heard about them because I may not use them we'll be rolling something like this out and as long as there is value packed in that Subscription Service you should have no problem paying for it if you if you find Value in it but be careful be careful about calling something something that it's not it's it if you validate it and verified and it's called verified then you're verified that's verification but if there's no verification stop calling it verified apart from having spent the moneyhello Galaxy I'm Chris Perillo and in Tech news today meta AKA Facebook the owners of Instagram and every other popular app on the planet seemingly has decided to roll out verification features that you can pay for Hmm this sounds familiar doesn't it yeah apparently they're doing it and that's of course stirred up controversy because they're not the first company to charge for verification but there's some caveats here and I want to talk through it because I don't think it's as bad an idea as some people have been making it out to be I mean there's some people are always going to push back for paying for anything like you just you can't listen to those folks you really can't there are people who don't like Facebook fine that's your prerogative there are people who don't like Services they don't want to buy into no problem I will also say this if you find Value in something absolutely pay for it support it in the way that you want to support it that's that's key that's critical so just because I don't want to buy something doesn't mean you shouldn't want to buy something and vice versa right I think we have enough healthy respect for boundaries to understand that my choices may not be yours so this is less about the conversation around choice and more about how is this different or do you perceive it as different I've got my take you probably have yours feel free to drop a comment it's a good conversation to certainly have behind me you can see the live stream at live.parillo.com you can join fellow geeks nerds 24 7 playing video games right now we have three people playing Minecraft at the same time on the same screen live.purillo.com oh yes it still exists that'll redirect you to where the live video feeds happening on Twitch currently rolled out the idea of paying eight dollars a month for a verification status right I use air quotes specifically because it's not really verification apart from verifying that you have eight dollars of monthly discretionary income that's it that's all you're verifying you're not verifying you're human you're not verifying you're a company you're just verifying that you have eight dollars to throw around and you get some features cool I'm fine with that I was okay with paying for Twitter blue for a month now this is before Elon took over but after a month I I I think was maybe even a week into paying what was it was it five dollars originally uh I can't even remember but it was largely to edit tweets and again I use air quotes because it was just a catastrophic rollout of a basic feature and I was like this is not worth paying for so I haven't paid for for Twitter uh from the beginning I see absolutely no reason for me to currently pay for Twitter because even with the value of a badge even if I did not have a legacy verification status it's not it's not enough like that's just it's not enough now if they start really truly rolling out features like you will absolutely show up more frequently in a feed or you will absolutely be prioritized in this way shape or form then yeah it becomes a little more valuable to me because I do still use Twitter I have no problem paying Twitter for something and I know some people are going to be angry at that right but it's it's got to be value relative to me understand though my biggest pushback with the idea that a blue badges quote unquote verification on Twitter it's because you're not verifying anything there's what are you verifying like I said nothing you're verifying nothing apart from you having money to spend and you're interested in having spent that money on Twitter to get a blue badge as they call it right the blue check whatever uh so at some point in the future I may very well go down that path as well but it's got to be able to deliver value to me now the value to you is a status symbol okay cool let's again you're paying for that you're saying you have the money to throw around specifically for a status symbol it it but it's asinine sorry let me reframe that Beyond asinine to call a blue check at this stage a quote-unquote verification badge you're not verified now let's move to the meta conversation right so Zuckerberg comes out today and so well the time of this recording uh and says hey we're gonna be rolling out a verification badge or effectively a blue badge on on meta as well and when he says meta it's Facebook and it's Instagram now I am verified I am Legacy verified on those platforms because I've had some problems with people coming along and saying they were me when they weren't really me so I've gone through the process of actually providing you know information to be able to verify and validate my status I had to do that for Twitter as well for whatever it's worth so I have been truly verified not necessarily newly ver quote unquote verified so they're rolling it out meta and they're not just saying hey you can pay 15 a month if you're on iOS there's the Apple tax I assume and I'd also assume that would also apply for Android though they didn't mention Android in this brief announcement or 12 on quote unquote the web or I assumedly a desktop Mac PC whatever uh so you would if you wanted to buy into it you would probably not want to buy into it directly on iOS because you can save three dollars a month so here's the thing they're doing differently and this is a clear differentiator and it goes to my original complaint and many people's original complaint with Twitter it's not paying for it pay for what you want but call it what it is now meta this is the differentiator is going to if you want to do this you have to furnish a ID you have to you actually have to give them identification they said this is me this is what I pay here's ID here you go here's my ID you got it you got it you got to do it if you want if you want that you got to do it so it is more truly verification because you have to provide uh you know some form of a valid ID in order to get that badge now I'm sure some people are going to cheat it they're going to figure out a way around the system but at least at least they are taking that step that is that I feel was the way it should have been done with Twitter wasn't done because of course that would have taken work and you know how are you gonna how are you gonna get people to work when you've already shrunk your Workforce at Twitter like my magnitudes I don't know So Meta I believe is going the right direction they're laying out features that could very well help in the sense that yes you can get verified sorry I just knocked a little Lego set onto the ground there this is the problem when you are Italian and gesticulate wildly I'll be building that later live when we record tldr on live.parilla.com uh so you're you're paying for the badge but you're also proving that the badge that you get on meta AKA Facebook and Instagram is is true it is a true verification badge because you had to furnish some kind of identification but you also get priority support that's a big deal so you know the problem they even creators like me have sometimes we get lost in the shuffle and we need help and being able to pay for support if you use those platforms is a valid reason to pay I don't that's absolutely like I mean there are times that I would ask for these companies if you know that I use their services for free I'm like hey can I pay you to get like service like and help instead of getting lost in the shovel so that is a a huge Boon for everybody if you happen to be a power user now I don't know a lot of Facebook power users I mean they they are out there and there are people who do it certainly for Facebook groups a lot of people are still very active in Facebook groups but many creators I've got notifications going off left and right um many creators use Instagram Instagram's very very popular I may not use it as frequently as they do I do Post reels there in the shorts and everything and I do post photos as well but I don't want to get into the algorithm talk it's another topic for another another day uh they use Instagram so for creators to be able to step through the process to get priority support that's a big deal so if you're a Creator I feel that this is a it's a wise decision or would be a wise business decision to spend the money to be quote unquote verified on meta now if you don't fine like if you're not you don't you just you're just a casual user it doesn't make any sense it's just that at that point it's a status symbol but there's a Stark dark contrast between what Facebook's doing with paying for verification and the value they're providing and how they're going about applying that verification and that process as opposed to how Twitter I believe has just completely bungled the idea it was a good idea you know and and hopefully more value will be pumped into the the uh the the verification system and I use that in loose terms when it comes to Twitter uh over time I I do hope for more value because I I would be Bae I would like to pay into that I would like to be able to I'm sitting here I'm not hating on it I'm just saying look let's be real let's let's be honest let's be direct about this and I was I was direct about this and I have been direct about it and someone I feel got their feelings hurt on Twitter like look verification just means you're just verify on Twitter you're just verified to have spent eight dollars a month great verification on meta and it's not a challenge of paying for something that you want but call it what it is better verification on meta you've already stepped through the process and you get value out of it because you get priority support and all the other benefits they're probably going to be enumerating over the the coming months if not years so this is interesting because I'd imagine more platforms if they haven't already and I hadn't heard about them because I may not use them we'll be rolling something like this out and as long as there is value packed in that Subscription Service you should have no problem paying for it if you if you find Value in it but be careful be careful about calling something something that it's not it's it if you validate it and verified and it's called verified then you're verified that's verification but if there's no verification stop calling it verified apart from having spent the money\n"