Jack Black calls out Elon Musk and lays down the gauntlet
Jack Black has called out Elon Musk for making all Twitter users pay a monthly fee to keep their blue checkmark, including celebrity A-Listers.
The School of Rock star think what the Twitter boss is doing is 'definitely not cool' and is going to 'call his bluff' to see if he will really wipe out the blue ticks for those who aren't willing to pay.
Twitter users who want to remain verified will need to cough up $11 a month as part of Musk’s shake-up of 'the only social media that matters'.
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He's also promised to scrap certain features for those who do not pay.
From 15 April, only verified accounts will be able to use the 'for you' page, which shows users recommended tweets outside their follow lists, Musk said.
Voting in polls will also require verification.
“This is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle,” he tweeted last month.
And now, Black has said that he isn't happy with the idea of removing verification ticks.
“I don’t know if I’m going to pay for it,” he told Variety.
“I’m a little embarrassed by the blue check to be honest with you. Maybe it’s cooler not to have checks. It’s definitely not cool to pay for it.
“I’m gonna see what happens if I don’t pay for it. I’m gonna call his bluff, see if he really takes my check away.”
Black joked: “Then I’m going to hold a big press conference to bring attention to this weird injustice.”
His The Super Mario Bros. Movie co-star, Chris Pratt, said: “I don’t know. I care deeply about all of [my followers].
“I’ll do whatever I have to do to stay a part of their lives because I respect their attention and I love to use it as an opportunity to talk to them when I’m doing movies and stuff.”
Musk has defended his decision and said that the new rules are 'more about treating everyone equally' as there 'shouldn’t be a different standard for celebrities'.
However, other personalities such as American activist Monica Lewinsky criticised the move, and tweeted: “In what universe is it fair to people who can suffer consequences for being impersonated?
“A lie travels half way around the world before truth even gets out the door.”
Topics: Elon Musk, Jack Black, Twitter, Celebrity, Social Media
Anish Vij