Is it though? The new verified system was rolled out really poorly.

There should have been a migration path from legacy to new verified, but instead they just unverified everyone (including obviously government accounts that under the new rule should retain a grey check).

That's true, but I don't think it effected the average user much.

I must be using a different site from you. Letting people pay to get boosted has turned the top of every thread into a hive of emoji-pasting, cruel, low-effort cretins.

Everyone's twitter feed is different. Mine doesn't have that.