The original purpose was definitely to verify identity. Since parody accounts are allowed, it's valuable to be able to tell the real X from a parody X. This was especially true early on in Twitter's history. It was also useful in encouraging famous people to get on Twitter. "Look, if you start you own account, we'll clearly distinguish it for you. No more fakes!" And having famous people on Twitter was hugely valuable to encouraging growth.
Unfortunately, there's a strong correlation between "useful to verify" and "important", so pretty quickly it became a status symbol, especially for marginally notable people. And some people really like status! It's very similar to the problem Wikipedia has, where they daily have to delete a lot of BS biographies from the would-be famous.
This means that the program has been a headache for Twitter for a long time. I know when I worked there in 2017 they announced that they were suspending the program pending a major revamp of how it works. As far as I know nothing came of that; I think they quietly started giving out blue checkmarks again a while back.
Personally, what I'd like to happen is that they make it much broader and roll it up in a "Premium Twitter" feature. I pay them $50/year, they verify that I'm who I say I am, get rid of ads, and throw in a few other features. But I doubt that will happen, as IMHO Twitter is incredibly bad at getting anything done.
I agree with your take and suggestions. They probably feel it would dilute the value. As you suggest, they could add “Premium” or “Pro” labels to distinguish people who pay for status. Maybe charge them by audience or reach as well.
Unfortunately, there's a strong correlation between "useful to verify" and "important", so pretty quickly it became a status symbol, especially for marginally notable people. And some people really like status! It's very similar to the problem Wikipedia has, where they daily have to delete a lot of BS biographies from the would-be famous.
This means that the program has been a headache for Twitter for a long time. I know when I worked there in 2017 they announced that they were suspending the program pending a major revamp of how it works. As far as I know nothing came of that; I think they quietly started giving out blue checkmarks again a while back.
Personally, what I'd like to happen is that they make it much broader and roll it up in a "Premium Twitter" feature. I pay them $50/year, they verify that I'm who I say I am, get rid of ads, and throw in a few other features. But I doubt that will happen, as IMHO Twitter is incredibly bad at getting anything done.