Earlier this year, sneaky Twitter users leaked the entirety of the recent Super Mario Bros. Movie on the platform. The leaked version was a boon for those who wanted to catch the new movie outside of the theaters. Obviously, the company isn’t exactly happy with the leaks. Unfortunately, it might have made future leaks even easier to post.

Today, Elon Musk has announced that Twitter Blue Verified subscribers will gain the ability to post two-hour videos on their accounts. Videos posted under this new ability can go up to 8GB in file size and 1080p in resolution. Subscribers can post these long videos from the website or the iOS app. (The Android version is still limited to the usual 10 minutes per video.)

Upping the video limit presents some boons to Twitter Blue. With the new ability, users will have a new way to distribute content on the platform.

However, the new feature might not do as much to increase the value of Twitter Blue. Over the months, the controversial handling of the verified badge did well to turn the once-coveted title into a meme-worthy label.

Those who aren’t subscribed to Blue will only be able to post videos of up to 140 seconds long. Meanwhile, the subscription is available for as low as US$ 8 per month.

SEE ALSO: Twitter will purge old, inactive accounts

Another week brings another confusing directive for Elon Musk’s Twitter. Fresh off an interesting crusade against legacy checkmarks, the social media platform has now set its sights on old, inactive accounts. Today, Musk has promised to deal with accounts that haven’t seen activity in years.

In a tweet now going viral, the billionaire confirmed an upcoming purge for accounts that “have had no activity at all for several years.” Musk alerts users of upcoming drops in follower counts because of the purge.

However, as with Musk’s other pronouncements, Twitter does not accurately explain how the purge will go. For one, “activity” is an ambiguous term in this case. Are sign-ins considered acceptable activity or do these accounts need to tweet something to be safe? Answering one way will determine the future of old burner accounts.

Further, the announcement does not adequately explain how forgotten accounts will ride off into the sunset. Though old content-based accounts are clearly affected, accounts from deceased users are also on the chopping block. Other platforms, such as Facebook, still let memorial accounts exist. Twitter does not seem as open.

If anything, Musk says that the purged content will be archived, instead of deleted outright. However, Twitter has not explained how archived content can be viewed.

Besides old, inactive accounts, the platform has also talked about freeing handles from inactive accounts in the past.

SEE ALSO: Twitter is adding an option to reject a free checkmark

Every month brings a new chapter in the ongoing Twitter saga with Elon Musk. Throughout the latter half of last week and the weekend, the latest chapter brought out the never-ending controversy surrounding the once-coveted blue checkmark. If you missed all the hullaballoo, here’s your chance to catch up.

Since acquiring the platform, Musk promised the transformation of the blue checkmark into a monetized badge for subscribers. Instead of awarding the badge to popular personalities active on the platform, Twitter wanted to give the marker out only to those who paid the monthly US$ 8 for Twitter Blue. Naturally, those who already have legacy badges rallied against the change, resulting in endless delays.

Twitter blazed it

Finally, Twitter had enough and called for a change on one of the most meme-worthy dates in internet culture, 4/20. Since that date, a lot of legacy badge holders lost their verified checkmarks for good. Because of the universally panned change, those who lost their badges already vowed to not pay for a new one through Twitter Blue.

It’s not a smooth change, though. Soon after the apocalypse, some users discovered that their badges survived. Despite finally getting rid of the old ways, Twitter has apparently figured out a way for high-profile users to keep their verified checkmarks after all.

So much for sweet goodbyes

Currently, Twitter has not confirmed why these users retained their checkmarks. However, Musk has personally commented on some profiles, saying that he’ll personally pay for their badges going forward. Some have also speculated that users over a certain threshold of followers will keep their badges; however, it’s unclear what that threshold is.

Those who refused to pay for Blue are now quailing at the retention of their blue checkmarks. The platform is not differentiating between users who paid for Blue and those who retained their old badges. It’s causing some confusion since they don’t want to be perceived as someone who paid for a free social media platform.

Since the acquisition, Twitter Blue has lost its already fragile veneer of exclusivity. Instead of turning the subscription service into a tempting package for users, Musk has inadvertently created a narrative wherein it is now a cause for ridicule.

It’s unlikely that the saga ends here. The finish to this weekend’s controversy is hardly a smooth one for the platform.

SEE ALSO: Twitter ‘no longer exists’