Rosalind Evans
The social media giant Twitter has transformed substantially, rebranding itself as “X” and replacing its well-known blue bird logo.
The brand’s fresh identity, represented by a white X on a black backdrop, has already replaced the bird logo on the desktop version, though the mobile version remains untouched for now. Elon Musk, the proprietor of Twitter, has stated that “tweets” will be supplanted with posts now referred to as “x’s.”
Musk has promptly updated his profile picture to the new logo and added “X.com” to his Twitter bio. The billionaire entrepreneur envisions X as a “super app,” a new social media platform breed he has contemplated for months.
Musk suggested a forthcoming logo transformation, tweeting, “And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.” Following the tweet, he showcased the new X branding projected onto the side of Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters.
The business has been renamed X Corp, with Musk suggesting this transition “should have been done a long time ago.”
Linda Yaccarino, the newly appointed CEO of Twitter, views the rebranding as an exciting opportunity. She declared, “Twitter made one massive impression and changed our communication. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square.”
The bluebird, named Larry in honour of basketball star Larry Bird, was created by designer Martin Grasser in 2012 and has been a long-standing platform symbol. The logo’s farewell has led to a surge of nostalgic posts on Twitter, including a tweet by Grasser saying, “Today we say goodbye to this great blue bird.”
The Super-App Concept
Super-apps such as India’s PayTM and Indonesia’s GoJek have already become integral to daily life for many in Asia, offering a wide range of services within a single application. WeChat, a social media and messaging platform, has become one of the region’s most prominent apps, boasting an estimated 1.29 billion users in China last year.
Drew Benvie, a social media commentator, noted, “Musk is going full throttle for the everything app space, leaving old Twitter in his wake, and eyeing the successes of Asia’s trailblazers like WeChat and Moj. To surpass Twitter, X needs to excel at a few additional services such as shopping or payments.”
However, with many competitive alternatives already available, Musk’s team faces a considerable challenge in catching up.
While Twitter’s former logo was seen as its most recognizable asset, this is not the first time Musk has played around with its identity. In April, the firm temporarily swapped the blue bird for Dogecoin’s Shiba Inu dog, which led to a surge in the cryptocurrency’s market value. However, this move led to accusations of insider trading against Musk.
Rebranding Concerns
The rapid transformation from Twitter to X has raised some concerns. Business commentator Justin Urquhart Stewart expressed skepticism about the rebranding’s reception among Twitter’s “loyal but aging base” and warned of potential brand damage.
Moreover, Jake Moore, a global cyber advisor at security firm ESET, highlighted that such a quick rebranding could present opportunities for phishing attacks aimed at tricking users into revealing their login credentials.
Musk’s Fascination with X
Musk’s obsession with the letter X is not a new phenomenon. His 1999 venture X.com, an online banking platform, was later merged with PayPal and purchased by eBay, resulting in a hefty profit for Musk. He still owns the X.com domain name, which now redirects to Twitter. His other ventures include SpaceX and an AI start-up named xAI. Even his first child with musician Grimes bears a name containing the enigmatic letter – X Æ A-12 Musk.
Twitter’s transformation into X signifies a radical shift in the platform’s identity and direction. With Elon Musk at the helm, the social media giant is poised to become an ‘everything app’ resembling popular Asian platforms. Yet, the rebranding journey is not without potential pitfalls, including user acceptance and cybersecurity threats. With Musk’s history of bold and successful ventures and his well-known fascination with the letter X, it remains to be seen whether this radical rebranding will take flight or become a letter best left out of the social media alphabet.
