As I sit here typing away on my laptop, I can’t help but feel a sense of unease about the current state of X, a social media platform that was once heralded as a beacon of free speech and creative expression. In recent months, the platform has undergone a series of changes that have left many users feeling frustrated and disillusioned.

One of the most significant changes is the removal of the ability for X Premium users to hide their blue checkmarks. For those who may not be familiar, blue checkmarks were once a symbol of prestige and verification on the platform, but they have since become a source of controversy and shame.

According to a notification sent to users on Thursday, the hide your checkmark feature of X Premium is going away soon. This means that all X Premium users will be forced to display their blue checkmarks, regardless of their feelings about the platform or its owner, Elon Musk.

This change is just the latest in a series of moves by Musk to centralize control on the platform and push his own agenda. In 2022, he reinstated an old Twitter policy that he once called a “lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark.” This move was met with widespread criticism, as many users felt that it was a way for Musk to consolidate power and silence dissenting voices.

Since then, X has undergone a number of changes that have further eroded the platform’s reputation as a champion of free speech. The introduction of boosted content and the ability for popular users to automatically receive blue checkmarks have led to accusations of payola and corruption.

When Musk automatically gifted popular X users with blue checkmarks last week, the backlash was swift and fierce. Users quickly disclosed that they did not, and would never, pay for the feature, and people began searching for ways to hide their blue checks. The feature to hide blue checkmarks was originally introduced in Aug. 2023 as a way to encourage people to buy X Premium without the shame that came with its blue checkmark. However, it is now being removed, presumably less than a year later.

This move by Musk is a typical ultimatum, where he asks people to do things his way or leave. It’s not so different from when he told advertisers to “go f—k themselves” if they didn’t like his “free speech policies,” as he calls them. Or how he told Cybertruck owners he would penalize them if they resold their vehicle in the first year. X is increasingly becoming Elon Musk’s sandbox, where you play by his rules or hit the road.

Many of X’s high-status, blue-check-marked users are now faced with a difficult choice: continue using the platform with their blue checks and face whatever scrutiny comes along with it, or simply stop using the platform altogether. This is a move that could push many of X’s beloved creators to the brink, as they may feel that they cannot continue to use the platform under these conditions.

Many users have already left the platform for Threads or other Twitter competitors. This exodus has led to a decline in the overall quality of content on X, as many of the platform’s most talented and influential users have defected to other platforms.

In conclusion, the removal of the ability for X Premium users to hide their blue checkmarks is just the latest in a series of moves by Elon Musk to consolidate power and push his own agenda on the platform. This move is likely to further alienate many of X’s most loyal and influential users, leading to a decline in the overall quality of content and a loss of faith in the platform’s ability to promote free speech and creative expression.