CLEVELAND — As the Twitter world awaits to see when the social media platform will remove those coveted check marks from the accounts of notable people, the question remains: is it worth it to keep them?

Entrepreneur and Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere Founder Ricky Smith has been a Twitter user since 2009. Since creating his account, he said the site has helped him grow his following and build his brand, especially after becoming verified. 

“Originally, when I got verified, it did help out my nonprofit and being able to reach out to companies and that sort,” said Smith.

Before now, in order to become verified on Twitter, users had to prove they were authentic, notable, and active. But now, with the new Twitter Blue program, users will have to pay $8 per month to keep that status. Verified users who don’t pay the monthly subscription will lose it.

“The young generations aren’t using it, a lot of corporations and people have left it,” he said. “So to be verified on a place where nobody is anymore is kind of dumb.”

Although Twitter has helped Smith build his career, he said it’s not enough to make him want to pay a monthly fee. As of Monday, Smith is among countless others who, despite not paying for the new subscription, still have their blue check mark. 

“Until I get something in the mail, something in my email, some notification, I assume everything is just status quo,” he said.

Verified or unverified, Smith said he plans to continue using Twitter and enjoying the features he still has. But he is disappointed with how the social media site has decided to move forward.

“I’m probably one of the few that still believes in social media, still believes in Twitter,” he said. “I think it’s a great place to bring people together and this and that. I’m just kind of sad to see the demise of it.”