Facebook Verified Accounts

Due to the sheer volume of pages and accounts for prominent public figures and celebrities, Facebook has made it possible to discern the real from the imposter. This has been achieved with its new Facebook verified accounts.

Once again the social media platform has been taking notes from Twitter. The Facebook model is much similar to the existing Twitter verified account system.

It is hoped the feature will make it easier for users to find the real page for the celebrities they wish to follow, and thereby access to authentic content. Since the implementation of Facebook verified accounts, when users check pages for famous individuals such as Selena Gomez or Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, they will find a blue circle with a white tick inside. This icon is situated to the right of the person’s name of the verified account. The verification mark will also appear next to the individual’s name, on the famous user’s timeline, in search results and on all other locations throughout the platform.

However the Facebook verified accounts option is not available to all users. The company stated in a blog surrounding the launch: “verified pages belong to a small group of prominent public figures with large audiences.” In a New York Daily News report the social media platform announced plans to roll the verified accounts feature out to personal profiles. Facebook however was unspecific of the associated time scales.

Facebook’s inclusion of the verified accounts feature is yet another example of the platform imitating and adapting Twitter’s operating and developmental strategies. Twitter unveiled the concept of verified accounts in 2009. The Twitter system also makes use of the blue icons and white ticks, which Facebook is essentially imitating.

Prior to the announcement of the new verified pages and accounts update, Facebook also changed the terminology which it utilises to refer to users who receive updates from public pages. Previously these users were referred to as subscribers on the platform. However in the change of terminology, these users are now referred to as followers. This simple change in the platforms terminology is further evidence of Facebook’s efforts to imitate Twitter.

The verified user pages and profile feature was unveiled on Facebook on Wednesday 5^th of June. This simple change is sure to revolutionise the ability of users to like and follow the official page of a particular public figure or celebrity, and eventually weed out those fake Facebook profiles and pages.