Remember when getting verified on Instagram felt like joining an exclusive club? Those days are officially over. What was once a coveted badge reserved for celebrities, public figures, and notable brands has transformed into something anyone can buy for the price of a Netflix subscription.
The Fall of the Blue Crown
Instagram's verification journey started innocently enough. Following Twitter's lead in 2009, Instagram introduced verification badges in 2014 as "a tool to help people find the real accounts of public figures and brands". The blue checkmark was Instagram's way of saying "this person matters" – and for years, that exclusivity made it incredibly valuable.