edlouwe, As a status symbol which earned them more views and clout, to us non-elite it always was a badge of shame. The elite are now stripped of their privilege and now want to pretend to sympathize with those they looked down on before.
Shame on #Twitter and #Meta for doing this...shame on the former blue check mafia who only cared when their #privilege was lost
https://www.axios.com/2023/04/23/verified-checkmark-twitter-badge