Twitter has a built-in social hierarchy. There are those with blue tick marks next to their name, and those without blue ticks. The blue tick denotes a verified account, meaning this is a real person and is whoever their description says it is. Verification was necessitated by the number of phoney and fake accounts on Twitter, which were often mistaken for the real person. Checking if you're tweeting to the right person is one of the basics of using Twitter without screwing up. But what started out as a way to help readers sort the real from the fake has turned into an ego exercise. The blue tick mark has become a social status in the world of Twitter. A coveted award, bestowed upon worthy Twitterati by the good folks at Twitter themselves. As journalist Mike Rundle wrote when he got his verification: In the world of Twitter, being 'Verified' is the closest thing there is to gaining a knighthood. The program is theoretically restricted to "highly sought users in...
Digital Excillence Made Easy