Elon Musk announced on Sunday through a series of tweets that he plans to replace Twitter’s decade-old logo, featuring a little blue bird, with a new and yet-to-be-decided image that incorporates an “X.”
This move marks Musk’s latest effort to phase out Twitter’s well-established branding, which has become familiar to hundreds of millions of users worldwide in recent years.
As part of his vision to transform Twitter into a comprehensive “super app,” offering various services like direct messaging, payments, and video streaming, Musk officially changed Twitter’s name to “X” in April.
“We are bidding farewell to the Twitter brand and, eventually, all the bird references,” remarked Musk.
He expressed that the “X” will represent the imperfections that make each individual unique. To encourage user participation, Musk requested Twitter users to submit their own designs for the “X” logo, promising to go live worldwide with the best one.
In line with his vision, Musk replaced his Twitter page’s logo with a flashing, flickering “X.”
Musk has been working for several months to restructure Twitter according to his vision, but these modifications have resulted in various commercial challenges exacerbated by the competition’s growth.
As Musk himself admitted, advertising revenue on Twitter has declined by 50% due to misguided adjustments in content control procedures.
Moreover, a limitation on the number of daily posts users could access led Meta to release Threads earlier than planned.
In recent months, multiple apps have tried to replace Twitter, but only Threads has managed to attract a substantial user base, partly due to Twitter’s powerful and widely recognized brand.
By removing Twitter’s most recognizable features, including its name and logo, Musk is sacrificing a crucial competitive edge as rivals aim to supplant the platform.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Twitter is adopting the name “X” as it holds a significant place in Elon Musk’s ventures for over two decades. Musk has associated the letter “X” with many of his successful projects, such as X.com (the original name for Paypal), SpaceX, Tesla’s SUV, X.Ai, and envisions transforming Twitter into an “everything app” called “X.”
The decision to rebrand Twitter as “X” is part of Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to convert the micro-blogging platform into a super app, similar to China’s WeChat. This transformation aims to integrate various services and functions within a single platform.
The “X” logo holds a special significance for Elon Musk, representing his vision of an “everything app” that he plans to launch in the future. Twitter is likely to serve as the foundation for this all-encompassing app, and Musk sees it as a crucial step towards realizing his vision.
Twitter remains highly popular, especially as a social platform for news and current events. Its appeal lies in its real-time and short-form nature, attracting 61.2% of users who rely on Twitter to stay updated with the latest news and happenings.
Twitter has recently introduced a new feature called “Notes,” allowing selected users to publish longer content on the platform. While still in the testing phase, this feature enables a few writers to share more extensive posts with their audiences.
The country with the most significant number of Twitter users is the United States, boasting 76.9 million users. Following closely are Japan (58.95 million users), India (23.6 million users), and Brazil (19.05 million users).
In 2023, Twitter continues to remain relevant and beneficial for users due to its real-time news and information, networking capabilities, customer service and support interactions, and opportunities for marketing.
Q. How can one obtain a blue badge on Twitter?
To acquire the coveted blue checkmark on Twitter, certain criteria must be met:
- Ensure your account has a display name and profile photo.
- Maintain active use of the account in the past 30 days to be eligible for Twitter Blue subscription.
- Secure your account by having it older than 30 days upon subscription and associating it with a confirmed phone number.
- Ensure your account adheres to non-deceptive practices.
Q. How much does the blue tick on Twitter cost?
In India, a Twitter Blue subscription costs ₹900 per month for both Android and iOS devices. For web users, the pricing stands at ₹650 per month. Alternatively, there is an annual subscription option available at ₹6,800 for web users.