Under new owner Elon Musk, Twitter's finely built infosphere appears to be rushing back toward chaotic cacophony.
The billionaire prefers anyone pay him $8/m to have their account on his microblogging social network badged with a check-mark that looks like the old Twitter verification check
but does not involve Musk's Twitter checking they are who they say they are. The billionaire is neither a fan of meritocratic signals nor, it seems, a friend to genuine information.
Now, users must click on the check symbol next to an account name and read the small print that pops up. It will either read: "This account is verified
because it's notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category" (i.e., it's pre-Musk Twitter verified);
or "Twitter has verified this account as being you; this is a legacy verification of your identity" (aka, not verified; but yes probably a Musk super fan).