A sign of ego? (Picture: Getty Images/Shutterstock)

If you’ve got no idea what on earth is going on at Twitter right now, you’re not alone.

Since the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, finally bought the site two weeks ago, 3,700 staff have been laid off, high-profile executives have walked, and all employees are now banned from WFH.

But one of the biggest – and most noticeable – changes is what’s going on with the verified blue tick.

Before Musk took charge, the blue tick meant that an account was verified and authentic – and you had to provide the receipts to get one.

Now, Musk’s new Twitter Blue subscription service allows users to pay £6.99 per month for a blue tick.

Aside from the very obvious security issue of people purchasing said tick and pretending to be anyone they like, it also means that those who could never have qualified for a blue tick before can get one just by inputting their card details. It turns what was once a sign of credibility, into a status symbol for those who want to pay for it.

We don’t know about you, but it’s left us feeling… icky. And now we’re calling it. Thanks to Elon Musk a new ick has been unlocked: the blue tick.

Some on Twitter have agreed. One user wrote that ‘all the worst people will pay for it’, while another said it will become ‘an ego-boosting status symbol to be flaunted.’ Over on TikTok, users have called the move ‘tacky.’

And dating expert for Match, Hayley Quinn, tells Metro.co.uk that people will be judged for having one. She says: ‘The idea that someone has paid to be a verified user on Twitter might make you think that they’re on an ego trip and perhaps investing (quite literally) their interests elsewhere.’

Psychologist Emma Kenny agrees. ‘Narcissism is thriving because of the online world,’ she notes.

‘Paying for a blue tick for no other reason than just to “have one” seems bizarre.

‘It shows a level of self-importance and a need to stand out. It’s saying that the owner has money – they can afford it in a cost-of-living crisis – and that they want to be seen as more important than the average person.’

But Emma also notes that the iconic tick shows ‘a level of accountability,’ adding, ‘It’s someone saying that they stand firm in their views.’

And Hayley warns prospective daters not to judge people with a paid for blue tick too harshly.

She says: ‘It’s worth considering that if you’re put off by whether someone has a blue tick on social media or not, this probably says more about your values than theirs.

‘Try to press hold on judging someone for their online life and focus on getting to know them IRL instead.

‘You may be surprised by their reasoning for wanting verification, or by how irrelevant it is to their personality when it comes to being a compatible match.’

Current rumours say that Twitter has suspended subscriptions to Twitter Blue, so what actually happens with that all-important tick remains to be seen.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

MORE : 10 things you could buy for the cost of a Twitter Blue subscription

MORE : Everything you need to know about the new dating trend bae-realing

Thanks to Elon Musk, a new ick has been unlocked.