If someone told you to type x.com into your browser, you’d understandably be quite skeptical.
but that’s it Elon Musk Hopefully you’ve been called (at least in his opinion) before visiting the site Twitter.
nine months later World’s richest man buys one of the world’s most popular social media platformsthe major rebranding he has long threatened has begun.
Twitter’s iconic bird logo disappearsreplaced by the generic X as part of a bold transition to “apps for everything,” it does more than satisfy your desire to argue with strangers online.
The iconic blue bird has been replaced by an X
What is the “everything app”?
Audio, video, even banking will all be core functions, CEO says Linda Yacarinoinspired by Musk’s admiration ChinaThe all-encompassing WeChat app.
More than a billion people use WeChat for everything from playing games to making payments, as well as traditional social media features like public posting, private messaging and photo sharing.
Musk would love such a user base for the X — it would certainly help a chronically unprofitable and debt-ridden company become a more sustainable business.
But that would require a radical shift in the winds of the platform.
from Verification check mark behind paywallarrive Apply reading restrictions and reinstate controversial banned accounts such as andrew tate and donald trumpMusk’s decision has so far left many users and advertisers looking for new pastures.
Twitter’s rebrand faces ‘big challenge’
But whatever your impression of the platform, its impact is undeniable.
A “tweet” has become as synonymous with communication as an email or a text message. It’s in both Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries. Consider how many newsletters and articles begin with these fatal words: “[Insert politician’s name here] Tweeted…”
Ed East, chief executive of social media consultancy Billion Dollar Boy, told Sky News that Twitter had become “entrenched in society”. Forcing users and the world to adapt will be a “big challenge.”
read more:
Why do so many apps share the same look and feel?
How Boris Johnson’s prime ministership collapsed on Twitter
Musk may follow suit from rivals mark ZuckerbergThis book is an attempt to change a brand that has become toxic to many.
But even after a series of audits and data privacy scandals, Zuckerberg tried desperately to distract from how toxic the Facebook name had become, and he didn’t get very far. Facebook to be placed under new parent company name Meta Rather than the platform itself changing.
Of course, Meta poses the biggest threat to Musk’s platform, and its unabashedly similar Threads have become The fastest growing app in history at the beginning of the month.
When it comes to social media, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Zuckerberg has proven a master at copying his competitors. What Musk has to prove is whether Twitter users are eager to follow WeChat.
He may have played a key role in starting PayPal, but it’s hard to imagine anyone looking at what Twitter has done over the past year and thinking, “Now there’s a company I can trust to manage my banking.”
from free bird to dead bird
But at the end of the day, Musk has long shown a disregard for other people’s ideas of how he should run things.
almost forced to buy twitter Attempt to cancel initial offer for April 2022he seems to find the greatest joy in being the protagonist.
given that he is SpaceX and One of his children was infamously named “X”With the rebrand, the platform is more closely tied to Musk’s personal brand than ever before.
Never mind that “the bird is free,” as Musk tweeted shortly after taking over, it’s now dead — Musk doesn’t want anyone to have any questions about who killed it.
Whether we like it or not, X is given to us.