--- title: "Telsa Superfan Dismayed When He Pays for Checkmark and It Doesn’t Even Appear on His Profile" description: "They say \"don't meet your heroes,\" but what's even worse? When your hero buys Twitter, makes you pay for a blue check, and the check doesn't work." date: "2022-11-17" modified: "2022-11-17" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-superfan-checkmark-purgatory" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" - "twitter" --- # Telsa Superfan Dismayed When He Pays for Checkmark and It Doesn’t Even Appear on His Profile ![They say "don't meet your heroes," but what's even worse? When your hero buys Twitter, makes you pay for a blue check, and the check doesn't work.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Checkmate They say "don't meet your heroes," but what's even worse? When your hero buys Twitter, forces you and others to start paying eight dollars per month for a [blue check]() that [doesn't actually verify your identity](), and then doesn't even appear on your profile for fake clout. This, readers, is the tale of Tesla superfan Steven Mark Ryan, who claims to have found himself in this exact nightmare scenario. The digital creator and apparent Elon Musk disciple took to the app earlier this week to speak his blue check woes to the billionaire. "It is currently less solid than my lost boner after viewing Bill Gates' pregnant man emoji impersonation," [wrote]() Ryan, who's clearly very fluent in [Musk lore](). "I'm in checkmark purgatory." "I upgraded on iOS (Australia) on first day," he continued, "and the only person on earth who can see the check mark is me, and only when on my iOS device." ## Week Promise Musk, always a [kind lord]() to his adoring enthusiasts, responded apologetically. "My apologies, this will be fixed within a week," the SpaceX and Tesla CEO wrote back, "two at most." Aw. That in mind, though, we would advise that Ryan take this promise with a heavy grain of salt. Musk rarely keeps timeline promises, and as [he told *CBS News*]() the other day, he has "too much" work on his plate right now. There's also the reality that the Saga of the Blue Check has been chaotic across the board, and lonely clout chasers aside, there are a lot of serious problems that Musk's "[power to the people]()" verification system has to address if it might one day indeed be, as [Musk has promised](), "rock solid." In any case, our thoughts go out to this man and his lonely checkmark. We hope he gets his money's worth eventually. **More on the blue checks:** *[Elon Musk's Checkmarks Backfire Spectacularly When They're Immediately Used to Impersonate People]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()