SAN FRANCISCO – Microblogging platform Twitter has sloped into a swirl of parody messages which forced the social media giant to halt the recently announced blue tick subscription service.
The incident garnered global attention as Tesla owner Elon Musk claimed to eliminate misinformation from Twitter after robust changes however one of the first steps of the American business magnate backfired.
A large number of users impersonating top global brands, and misused the subscription service, forcing Twitter to end the service after chaos.
Parody accounts with check marks of top companies like Eli Lilly and PepsiCo posted funny posts. From free insulin to the superiority of rival brands, here are some of the tweets that went viral.
Later, some brands including Eli Lilly issued an apology as tweets went viral and companies faced backlash.
Even some accounts impersonated Tesla, the automotive giant owned by new Twitter owner Elon Musk. These accounts commented on sensitive topics like child labor.
As the thousands of spoof messages created a frenzy, Twitter on Thursday night halted the subscription service, the powerful symbol of authentication abused by trolls.
Prior to Musk’s takeover, only verified accounts of public figures got the badge.
Several initiatives like the tick subscription service were aimed to garner funds as Elon Musk earlier announced that the microblogging platform would not be able to survive amid a severe economic crunch.
Amid the ongoing crisis, the new administration has fired nearly half of the company’s workforce including board officials in a major reshuffle.
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Many top brands, including United Airlines, earlier ceased advertising on the platform after the takeover. With nearly 240 million users, the social media giant heavily relied on advertisements.
