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Bye, Bye Birdie! Two Weeks After Threads Launch, Twitter Changes Its Name & Logo
Over a decade after the blue bird first took flight, its journey has come to an end. Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced today that the name and logo of the microblogging platform have been changed.
The iconic blue bird has been replaced by an X and the platform is also called X. Moreover, X.com will now redirect to Twitter.
The change comes mere weeks after Meta launched Threads, touted to be Twitter’s rival. Threads had an explosive start, reaching 100 million downloads in just five days. However, the spark soon died down. Two weeks after its launch, the number of users saw a 70% drop.
The speed of sign-ups may have died down, but Threads’ initial success ‘needled’ Musk for sure. As per several news reports, Musk threatened to sue Meta’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.
It’s unclear if Zuckerberg felt threatened by the reports or not. But, what is clear is that Twitter is now X.
We Finally Found X
If the buzz on the platform is anything to go by, Twitter’s new logo may soon become famous (or infamous) enough to replace the X we spent years hunting for in algebraic equations.
From memes to jokes, Twitterati (will they now be known as Xati?) had a lot to say about the change, with #TwitterX and #RIPTwitterBird trending on the platform, among other terms.
Let’s take a look at what people are saying about going to an X (pun intended):
I'm calling it TwiX from now on, and no-one can stop me. #TwitterX pic.twitter.com/dsaIctroNj
— BitMissing (@bit_missing) July 24, 2023
X-Rated #TwitterX pic.twitter.com/fg3bxLOsO8
— Daniel (@DamnDanielYaFly) July 24, 2023
Arriving at work to find out you don't work there anymore. #TwitterLogo #TwitterX pic.twitter.com/O8Sym20P1S
— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) July 24, 2023
Twitter Logo Changes Over The Years
This isn’t the first time that Twitter’s logo has changed, though it’s certainly the most monumental change to occur. Twitter’s original logo was not even blue but rather, green.
Twitter was launched in 2006 with a green-colored logo that spelled the word Twitter. Soon after its launch, the color was changed to blue. The bird first appeared in 2010.
In 2009, in an interview with LA Times, co-founder Jack Dorsey explained the idea behind the name:
“We came across the word "twitter", and it was just perfect. The definition was "a short burst of inconsequential information", and "chirps from birds". And that's exactly what the product was.”
Reports also suggest that the blue bird logo followed the design principle of the ‘golden ratio’, which is supposed to promote a psychologically pleasing effect.
It doesn’t take a master’s degree in psychology to figure out the very obvious pitfall of having an X as your logo. Then again, Musk is known to take bold, often erratic decisions - especially with regard to Twitter.
Ever since Musk took over the platform in October 2022, his decisions about the platform have come under intense scrutiny from users and employees alike. Post Musk’s takeover, Twitter saw mass layoffs, and the introduction of paid verification, among other changes.
Only time will tell if the X takes Twitter to new heights or gets canceled.
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