Here's how Meta's new paid verification service could backfire
You probably heard by now that Meta started testing a paid verification program. You may also wonder what that means for Facebook and Instagram users and whether it's worth the cost.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced its latest offering, Meta Verified. This allows users to obtain a blue verification badge by subscribing to a paid program. For $11.99 per month via web subscription and $14.99 on iOS, subscribers can verify their accounts using a government ID to access extra impersonation protection against fake accounts and gain direct access to customer support.
In addition, subscribers are said to have increased visibility and reach on the platforms and access to “exclusive features” to express themselves in “unique ways," but precisely what those features are is not detailed.
While $11.99 a month may not seem worth it for individual users, companies with a presence on Facebook and Instagram may find it a small price to pay for extra protection and the ability to talk to a real person in case of issues.
With Meta's ad revenues falling, a revamped business model, "Get Verified or Worified," makes sense. However, when adding value for premium users, Facebook might hurt their main product, you, the free users. Adding a new class of users, the premium tier, might result in a downgrade of the free tier, turning free users into second-class users and possibly resulting in a spike in user abandonment rates on Facebook and Instagram.
As it's becoming clear to more and more users that web 2.0 platforms aim to maximize value for themselves rather than users, it's no surprise that Meta removed its "free and will always be free" slogan from Facebook's homepage back in 2019. Whether Meta Verified will be worth the cost and potential drawbacks remains to be seen.
Given the odds of a drawback, I wonder why Meta didn't restrict the paid verification service to Meta Business users. What are your thoughts? Is Meta Verified worth it?