We know how the blue tick next to a Twitter handle indicates a verified account; usually someone of import – a celeb, sportsperson, politician, academic and so on. It is also something of a prestige issue – for social media influencers, it is a sign of really having arrived for instance. When that blue tick is not visible for any reason, fans and supporters of the verified Twitter user tend to take umbrage – as when M S Dhoni’s blue tick disappeared:
M S Dhoni’s blue tick went away for a while. Then it came back. No big deal right?
Soon people were tweeting with hashtags like #BlueTick #MSDhoni and similar.
They took it personally, and took up cudgels on behalf of their idol.
Some fans took it personally and soon #BlueTick was a top Twitter trend.
Of course, the memes started right away.
How dare you, Twitter they said in one form or another.
That blue tick disappeared only for a short while and soon reappeared.
It went away but now it’s back! Aal ijj well!
Some thought that the presence or absence of the blue tick is an irrelevance for someone of Dhoni's stature.
Fans were delighted when things returned to normal. This matters a lot, apparently.
When the blue tick was restored, fans assumed that it was because of their sustained pressure that it was reinstated.
Twitter users assumed that the platform had bowed to their wishes.
The last time Dhoni tweeted from his account was back in January of this year. Twitter sometimes removes the blue tick verification after a prolonged period of inactivity. This is commonly done with dormant accounts and the most likely reason the blue tick was removed and then reinstated soon thereafter.
One wonders if the former Indian skipper even knew about the Twitter storm that had got his fans so hot under the collar.
Dhoni may have 8.2 million followers on Twitter but he tweets infrequently – every few months or so. It is unlikely he was at all perturbed by the missing blue tick…. particularly when his fans are so vigilant.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
