Paid blue check
The model where the blue check became a paid subscription (X Premium, formerly Twitter Blue) instead of a free identity mark. It turned verification from "we've confirmed who you are" into "you pay for a check plus extra features".
Background: after Musk's Twitter acquisition (2022) the blue check was tied to a monthly payment, and the old "authenticity" checks were removed or mixed with paid ones. Controversy: paid impersonation accounts immediately appeared (a fake verified "Eli Lilly" promising free insulin made the stock drop). Features that come with it: algorithmic boost (paying users show up more), longer posts, editing. Effect: the check now signals "pays for X" rather than "is a known/verified person", which inverted its social meaning — for some even a stigmatizing marker. Meta and others followed with their own pay models. Related to verified badge and creator fund.