Dr Justin Thomas is a chartered health psychologist, author and a columnist for The National
November 15, 2022
Last week, Twitter launched a new pay-for-checkmark scheme. The identity-verifying blue checkmark, once reserved for notable individuals and institutions, is now available to all. Since the update was first announced, the price has changed, and details of the verification process are, at best, uncertain. The current state of play is captured in a tweet by Elon Musk, the company's new owner: "Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. We will keep what works and change what doesn't."
As it stands, the new scheme is part of an update to "Twitter Blue", the social media platform's premium subscription service. Along with the blue checkmark, anyone willing to pay the fee – $7.99 per month – will also get early access to new functions, such as the ability to edit tweets. For the time being, this is rolled out only in certain geographies. Twitter claims the changes are part of a verification revamp motivated by a desire to reduce fake, untrustworthy accounts.
So far, so bad. Since the launch of the new scheme, the platform has been plagued by fake accounts, many sporting the blue checkmark that once signified account authenticity. For example, there was a fake George W Bush account, tweeting that "I miss killing Iraqis", to which a fake Tony Blair replied, "Same tbh". Similarly, a fraudulent Nintendo account posted a picture of the gaming character Mario making an obscene hand gesture.
Elon Musk said Twitter Blue was 'probably' coming back next week in a Twitter exchange on Sunday. Photo: Twitter
Twitter makes most of its revenue from advertising. So if brands are being brought into disrepute, that is going to be bad for business. At the time of writing, Twitter has, at least temporarily, suspended the new blue checkmark scheme amid a wave of people impersonating notable brands and individuals.
Overlooking the chaos of Twitter's blue checkmark free-for-all, the fact that people will pay to verify their identity reflects our changing attitudes toward technology. In the early days of internet chat rooms, the forerunners to social media platforms, almost nobody used their real names. Service providers actively discouraged users from disclosing too much personal information. Anonymity and pseudonymity (fake names) were internet norms.
Today, many people strive for hyper-authenticity, real-time sharing of the most intimate and traditionally private details of their daily lives. And while most of us are not serial over-disclosers or online exhibitionists, we have become far more willing to share aspects of our identities. For example, many of us share our most recent accolades (LinkedIn) or our opinions (Twitter) or even what we are about to eat for lunch (Instagram).
Along with us being OK about projecting our true identities online, we are also increasingly required to verify that we are who we say we are. Web-based services actively and repetitively encourage us to share additional verifying information with them. For example, an email service might request our mobile phone number to help us regain access to accounts should we forget our password.
This need for online verification, and the protection of our digital identity, will only intensify as more of our daily tasks and social transactions move online. Apple, Microsoft, Google and other tech giants have already committed to greater use of biometrics – Face and Touch ID – to access online accounts. Ultimately this move is designed to do away with time-consuming passwords, which are hackable, sharable and forgettable.
The need for verifiable identities will increase as the internet expands. The next significant phase in the evolution of the internet is being called the metaverse. This term first appears in Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel, Snow Crash. The author uses the word to describe a persistent virtual world, a successor to the internet, populated by millions of people in digital avatar form. Stephenson's virtual reality world features places of work, rest and play where people purposefully interact with each other.
Gigi Hadid has deactivated her Twitter account following Elon Musk's takeover of the platform, saying 'it's becoming more and more of a cesspool of hate and bigotry with the new leadership'. AFP
Whoopi Goldberg said she was getting off Twitter because 'it’s so messy'. AP
Producer Shonda Rhimes quit the platform days after Elon Musk took over. Reuters
Actor and filmmaker Alex Winter's account has also been deactivated. AFP
Grammy-winning singer Sara Bareilles said Twitter was no longer for her. AP
Actor Amber Heard, who once dated Elon Musk, has also deactivated her account. AP
Singer Toni Braxton, who has also quit, said she was not comfortable with 'hate speech under the veil of free speech'. Alamy Stock Photo
Comedian Kathy Griffin's Twitter account was suspended after she changed her name to 'Elon Musk'. GC Images
'Avengers' star Mark Ruffalo has pleaded with Elon Musk to 'get off Twitter and get on with running Tesla and SpaceX'. AP
While the details have yet to be fully agreed and ironed out, the emerging metaverse greatly resembles Stephenson's vision. This computerised universe is widely envisaged as an immersive 3D digital ecosystem, a network of unending and interconnected virtual worlds. In his book, The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionise Everything, Matthew Ball describes it as "a parallel plane of existence for millions, if not billions, of people, that sits atop our digital and physical economies".
Today, we are "on" the internet. Tomorrow, we will be "in" the metaverse. The need for verifiable identification in such a digital ecosystem will parallel the need for passports, social security numbers and national identity cards in the physical one.
Twitter's blue checkmark scheme looks like it is having some teething troubles. However, rigorous and robust identity verification will eventually become a prerequisite for participation in many walks of online life. I also suspect that many people want, or wanted, Twitter's blue checkmark as a status symbol, the digital equivalent of a branded T-shirt. The blue check, after all, implies that you are worthy of impersonation. The fact that we are prepared to spend money on our digital identities, enriching them with digital status symbols, also fits with future economic visions of the metaverse. As it is offline, so shall it be on the web.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
