A new feature is changing the landscape of reply threads on X, potentially diminishing the dominance of “blue checks.”
Over the past few years, the introduction of the blue checkmark has faced significant scrutiny. Originally designed to verify the authenticity of notable users, the blue check has shifted to a pay-for-access model under recent leadership. Users can now acquire a blue checkmark by subscribing to X Premium for $8 per month. This change has also meant that subscribers received priority in post mentions.
This adjustment led to blue check accounts often monopolizing the top spots in replies, regardless of how relevant their comments were to the original post.
The newest reply sorting features on X for web are straightforward: “Most recent” displays replies in chronological order, while “Most liked” prioritizes replies based on the number of likes. With these options, blue check accounts have lost the preferential treatment they enjoyed under the previous system.
While the method for sorting replies using the “most relevant” option remains somewhat unclear, it appears that blue check users still hold some level of priority in this category, resembling the former default procedure.
All users can change the reply sorting settings for any post they view, not just their own. As these new features roll out, it will be intriguing to observe their acceptance among X’s user base. A preference for viewing replies by most liked or most recent could lead to a decline in X Premium subscriptions, as the advantages of having a blue check diminish.
