Verified badge
The blue (or other colored) check next to a name that originally meant the platform had confirmed the account is who it claims to be. An authenticity mark for celebrities, journalists, and brands — whose meaning changed dramatically when it became purchasable.
Origin: Twitter introduced the blue check (~2009) after a baseball star sued over a parody account — it signaled "verified identity", not status or endorsement. It became a status symbol anyway. Turning point: Elon Musk's Twitter/X (2022) made the check a paid subscription (Twitter Blue/X Premium), which decoupled it from identity verification → anyone could buy "authenticity", and a wave of paid impersonators followed. Meta launched its own paid "Meta Verified". The debate: is a check an identity proof or a paid service? It now differs sharply between platforms. Related to blue check (paid) and creator fund.