When everything around is wacky and weird, even a joke becomes easily believable. That’s exactly what happened when an artist created a satirical ‘blue-check homes’ website for influencers to ‘verify’ their houses. The same prank wouldn’t be trusted a few years ago, but the impact of social media and its approval means the world to the world today. San Francisco-based artist Danielle Baskin took the blue-tick approval to the world of real estate, stating that residents can apply to have a “Verified Badge crest” installed on the facade of their homes. The prank then took on a life of its own after real applications for the emblem started rolling in. the fake company’s site explains, “The blue verified badge on your house lets people outside know that you’re an authentic public figure. To receive the blue check crest, there must be someone authentic and notable actively living in the house.” The plaster crest they said will cost $2,999.99, and funnily, people didn’t get the joke even after reading the disclaimer, which exclaimed that you are at some point in the future no longer up to snuff, the company will remove it for no extra charge. Baskin said, “I think it’s so fascinating that it was taken seriously. Three years ago, maybe it would have been a joke. But ideas are so wacky now, and the news is so outlandish, that something like this seems like another awful thing that’s happening in our world.”
Baskin wants to end this viral prank by actually sculpting a verified badge crest for at least one of the many applicants, and also intends to send rejection letters to applicants who didn’t make the cut.
[Via: Artnet]
