There are plenty of reasons to take issue with the Meta Verified subscription product, which allows creators (for now) to pay a monthly few to get access to benefits that include account verification, increased visibility, access to support, and more. But there’s one huge issue that everyone’s missing.
This problem has everything to do with the fact that it’s a subscription and it contradicts the implied importance of it in the first place. But there is a solution.
Allow me to explain…
Verification Tied to Subscription
On its face, the Meta Verified subscription makes some sense. It allows Meta to get more people verified, which improves the authenticity of the platform (which Meta claims to value). And it opens a new revenue stream in the process.
So, what could be so bad about it? Well, all is great once you sign up. But, what happens if you cancel?
Think about it. You sign up for Meta Verified. You get that blue badge. Great! This proves you are who you say you are! Authenticity assured.
You then miss a payment. Or you cancel two years from now. Then Meta removes the badge.
Suddenly, people are uncertain. What happened to your badge? Are you an imposter? Should they report your account?
Meta says that this is important to assure authenticity, but it will also create confusion (and more customer support issues) when people cancel. And they will cancel.
Essentially, this backs subscribers into a corner once they get their accounts verified through the Meta Verified program. You can’t stop paying. You put a great deal at risk by ending your subscription.
The Solution
There is a solution to this problem, of course: Don’t tie verification to the subscription.
The easy way to execute this is that once you sign up for Meta Verified, your account remains verified even after you cancel. You just won’t continue to get the other benefits post-cancellation. You’d fall into the same category as the rest of us who were verified prior to this product’s creation.
Alternatively, it could mean creating the option of a one-time fee. You want to get verified, but you don’t care about all of the benefits? There are plenty of people out there who would love to get verified. This gives them the option.
Of course, you would still need to follow the rules of those in the Meta Verified program.
Once verified, you can’t change your profile name, username, date of birth, or profile photo without getting verified again. And if you’re not paying for the subscription, you’ll need to pay a second time.
Assuming it’s a reasonable fee, I don’t think most would complain about this (although not being able to change your profile photo is kind of ridiculous).
It Makes Too Much Sense
Meta’s greediness got the best of them here because this option makes too much sense. Many likely won’t care about the other benefits. They just want to get their accounts verified.
And Meta should want that, too. But it’s reasonable that substantial resources are required to verify everyone who wants it. So charge them to get verified.
But once they get verified, Meta’s job is done. The user or business is happy. Meta is happy because the platform is more authentic.
Look, there’s long been discussion that Meta needs some sort of paid subscription for better customer support. So create that subscription product. But there’s no need to tie that to authentication because one is an ongoing need while the other only requires the initial setup.
Watch Video
I recorded a video about this, too. Watch it below…
Your Turn
Hey, maybe I’m missing something. Maybe it’s already assumed that you’ll retain “verified” status after canceling, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. What do you think?
Let me know in the comments below!
