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The End of Twitter’s Era: ‘X’ Takes Over
It’s been a sad departure from the long-running, micro-blogging app, Twitter that has been going strong since 2006. Twitter’s rebrand started in 2022, when Elon Musk officially purchased the network on October, 28th. For sure, it was a fresh, new start. For others, it was the demise of a once trustworthy network.
From X.com (now PayPal), to SpaceX, to Tesla Model X, Musk’s obsession with the letter “X” is no secret. After tinkering with Twitter, Musk did what no one was ready for and changed Twitter’s logo to X.
It seems that Musk wants to eradicate all traces of Twitter and continue with his plan of creating an “everything app.” Let’s get into Twitter’s rebrand.
Changes to the Twitter App
From the obvious owner change to the end of Twitter’s blue-bird logo as we know it, over the last year new features have emerged on Twitter left and right.
A new CEO came into place as well, and Linda Yaccarino replaced co-founder and former CEO, Jack Dorsey.
One of the stand-out features has been the addition of Twitter Blue, now called X Premium. This is the first time a subscription service was added to the network that has been free across the board until now.
Yaccarino even created a timeline on X’s blog, outlining the changes that have been made since the change-over.
Are they still called “tweets”?
With the new name, users have also been wondering, what do we call “tweets” now? Musk responds in a tweet, saying they should be referred to as “x’s.”
This may not stick, as it’s been over a decade of calling them “tweets”. Also, there’s no smooth translation of “re-tweet” to “x” language, so it will be hard to wipe all “Twitter” references off the face of the Earth.
Why Was X Implemented Now?
One question many users have asked in the last few weeks is, why was X implemented now? There are a few theories for Twitter’s rebrand.
After Musk replaced Jack Dorsey, Dorsey decided to move on with his own project. Thus, Bluesky Social was put on the map, as a decentralized micro-blogging social network based on an AT Protocol.
Then, as more and more changes arrived to Twitter, Meta announced their own Twitter-esque app, called Threads.
Both Bluesky and Threads are extremely similar to Twitter in terms of basic features and main functions. However, these new apps have emphasized their importance to decentralization.
It seems that both Dorsey and Zuckerberg wanted to put a fight up against Musk, and a fight it has been.
Musk even tweeted that this fight will be live-streamed on X. Apparently the two agreed to settle it with a “cage fight” but it remains unclear if these are jokes or serious.
In my opinion, it all seems pretty childish. These two are continuing to “one up” each other in the hope that their project trumps all (no pun intended in that).
The Future of “X”
So, what does this mean for the future of X? Well first, Musk will continue with these efforts to transfer all branding to “X”.
Another announcement from Musk has been the switch to Dark Mode as the default setting, compared to the white background that Twitter has always had.
When it comes to switching everything over to X, Musk is going to run into a few issues. First, Microsoft and Meta own some ‘X’ trademarks related to their products, meaning X could have more legal issues in the future.
And speaking of legal actions, X will run into obstacles in terms of re-writing contracts, maintaining existing partnerships, and establishing legal verbiage.
According to Yaccarino, X will facilitate payments and banking, but how they will do this is unclear. It’s not as easy as it may seem for a network to set up payments, as regional governments are strict on what they approve.
For example, Meta has been trying to create a universal payment for years but has had no luck. With such a controversial figure as Musk, this could hurt him in the long run.
But, only time will tell how this Twitter rebrand will turn out, but we will be here to keep you updated every step of the way. Make sure to look at our social media news section, for updated current events in the digital world.