But verification is not an intrinsic virtue. It’s a designed signal — a social construct implemented by platforms and communities — and its meaning depends entirely on the standards and processes behind it. A badge earned through rigorous identity checks and community review carries very different weight from one issued through opaque, inconsistent, or pay-for-play mechanisms. When verification lacks transparency, it risks becoming mere decoration: something that looks like credibility without the safeguards that make credibility meaningful.