We have reached the new age of Social Media-
Did you hear: Facebook and Instagram announced that they will soon require some users to pay a fee in order to be verified on the social media platforms, as they follow Twitter’s lead.
I don’t think this is totally bad, because if people have to pay, then maybe the will be less likely to use it.
I find asking people to pay quite amusing.
Hopefully it will make, at least some, people rethink their social media use and either spend less time using it, or close their accounts entirely.
Further to my last comment, that news article says that Facebook is going to charge either US$11.99 or US$14.99 per month. Given the current exchange rates in New Zealand and Australia, that works out to NZD$19.18 or NZD$29.98 per month or AUD$17.39 or AUD$21.74 per month.
I live in Australia and know many people across both Australia and New Zealand and I don’t know anyone who would pay that monthly fee.
To me this idea of asking people to pay for something that used to be free seems like the actions of a desperate man who wasted all his money on the “metaverse” and has just realised that if he doesn’t do something, his business will run out of money.
I’m curious about who will be the brave souls (and why) who will pay $11 for customer service and a blue badge, give them their ID, and continue as an ad eternum data supplier.
Great point! Meta already makes its users the product. Unless a Meta user stops being the product upon paying a monthly fee, such a user is constantly paying double – in one way with his/her personal data, and in another way with cash.
@user1 $15.99 USD per month come to nearly $200 per year.
My hope is that people will realize that spending that kind of money to mindlessly scroll & waste time is not worth it & that their money could be spent in better ways.
With first Twitter, and now Facebook/Instagram, asking people to pay to be “verified” I’m wondering, what other web sites will follow suit? If I was Google I would seriously be considering following Twitter and Facebook/Instagram and asking users to pay for verification.
From what I understand, many people around the world have a Gmail account with their real name and use it for important things like a resume, or curriculum vitae, for communication with government services (medicare, drivers licenses, taxes), banking and insurance companies, health providers, utility companies (electricity, gas, mobile phone, Internet) and more. Many people have that one email account that they use for these sort of important emails and usually they use their real name. Many people use Gmail for this. Now imagine if Google decided that you could pay them a “small monthly fee” so that anyone you were sending email to could verify that you are who you say you are, and not someone trying to impersonate you. I think that because so many people are tied to Gmail, if Google did a fear based marketing campaign, they could probably scare lots of Gmail users into paying for verification. I suspect that more people would willing to pay for verification in Gmail than for verification on Twitter or Facebook/Instagram.
Could this could be the start of a slippery slope?
Slippery slope? Maybe? However, perhaps if people will have to pay, then they will be more mindful about what services they use.
Based on what we know about consumer behavior and the psychology of free products, it’s likely that many users would be hesitant to pay for something that they have been using for free.
I would never pay for a social media platform.
I don’t think anyone in their right mind would pay- unless you’re a business & are looking to advertise & use it to make money. Then I can see people paying in the same way you pay for hosting on a website.
Just stumbled upon this thread and noticed that it’s quite old, but I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic. It’s definitely interesting to see how social media platforms are evolving and changing over time.
I second @justyna_latoszek ! Welcome and we’re looking forward to hearing your take on this topic 
I was just catching up on the latest buzz and came across Facebook and Instagram’s plan to charge for verification. It’s like they’re following Twitter’s lead. Honestly, social media has its pros and cons, don’t you think?
@kevinalvrado Yes, I agree and I agree with what @worldcitizen88 said regarding:
I personally would not pay to use social media; I’d prefer to do without it if there wasn’t a free option available. On the other hand, I think it can be a good tool for businesses to reach their audiences, so there are both pros and cons to it.
@adamgwarek I don’t think anyone would WANT to pay. However, the reason it’s “free” is because we are paying for it in other ways- like with our data.
Would you consider paying if you knew you were not being profiled?
Isn’t it interesting that it’s called social media, not social communication, or meaningful online social interactions. Mind you, the acronym mosi sounds a lot like mozzie (Aussie slang for mosquito)… 
Imagine if MOSI was the new thing? Mudita MOSI teehee! I’d like to see an icon for that!
That’s a good question. I would say it depends on the cost. If it’s reasonable, then perhaps yes, however there is no way to be sure if I would in fact no longer be profiled.
If the cost is too high on the other hand, I might just consider not using the platform altogether.
It can be a great way to connect with friends and fans, but sometimes these platform changes can leave us scratching our heads.Speaking of social media strategies, I recently discovered a trick to boost your online presence. I found out that you can Buy old Twitter accounts. It could actually help expand your reach and engagement.
