So you woke up and noticed your Twitter had an X instead of the blue bird! You are not alone.

If you are like me, you were probably a little confused about the sudden change. And if you are still wondering, no worries because, in this article, I will answer the ‘Why does Twitter have an X?’ question.

In short, Twitter’s blue bird is no more, it was replaced with an X. This is because, in July 2023, Twitter was bought and rebranded to “X” by Elon Musk’s X Corp. 

I think it would be nice to have a brief background of Twitter to help us understand a few things before looking into why it is X now. Also, I will explore some implications of this change. Let’s get to it.

Twitter – Brief background

Twitter is an online social networking and social media platform that originated and operated in America. It was founded and developed by Noah Glass, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan Williams in March 2006, and serves users worldwide except in countries where it has been blocked. 

The company was originally known as “twttr” before its final incarnation as Twitter, inspired by the definition of Twitter as “a series of chirps from birds”, which explains the blue bird icon. It was originally SMS-based with a 140-character limit, which increased to 280 in 2017 to enable users to spend time talking rather than condensing their thoughts to fit the limit. 

As users increased and Twitter grew, user-driven functionalities like @, retweets and hashtags came up and were included in the system. 

The rebrand to X 

In July 2023, Twitter abruptly changed its logo, this represents the official rebrand to X.

The X logo replaced the bird logo first on the web versions of Twitter, then later on the mobile apps, both for Android and iPhone, and was beaming at the company headquarters too. 

In early 2023 Musk merged and changed the company name to X Corp. from Twitter Inc. Elon’s vision is to expand Twitter and create an “everything app”. 

As part of this vision, he decided to rebrand Twitter to X. This shift from the bird logo is the biggest and the latest sweeping change made since Musk’s takeover in 2022. 

It is believed that the X will offer unlimited interactivity –  video, audio, messaging, banking, payments and a global marketplace. 

Other changes to the platform include a limit to the number of messages unverified users can send daily, this was announced and effected a few days before the X rebrand and followed the introduction of a paid subscription – Twitter Blue. 

Users therefore get access to additional benefits including the ability to edit after posting and an increased number of messages allowed daily. In addition, the original Tagline – ‘Let’s talk’ has also been changed to ‘Blaze your glory’. 

The implication 

According to Twitter’s CEO Linda Yaccarino, this rebrand is only the beginning of a move to redirect the app; X is envisioned as the future state of unlimited interactivity and will tremendously connect users – powered by AI.

The X will encompass all features of Twitter. You can still chat and share pictures or videos, also your contacts, and tweets (if that’s still what we call them) have not changed. 

Tweets to posts. Your chats are not reflected as ‘tweets’ any more, they are ‘posts’ under the X brand. Accordingly, ‘retweets’ have now changed to ‘reposts’

This shift probably marks the end of one of the most recognizable brands in social media as the blue bird has been a valued and known icon. 

Who knows, maybe some users were using Twitter because of the bird icon! We will just have to wait and see if Musk will be in a position to convince users to embrace this big change.

FAQ

Why did Twitter rebrand to X? 

The rebrand to X from the blue bird is attributed to Elon Musk (the owner)’s fondness for the letter X. The X has been observed and is said to have always popped up throughout his career. 

In 1999, Musk founded a financial start-up company that he called X.com which later merged and in 2000 became the famous PayPal used for online payments. He later launched SpaceX – a Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, Tesla his electric car company has a model X vehicle, and he also has a son whose name is shortened to X! 

This is also closely linked to the ambition to turn the news-led social network into an app that offers everything not only social but economic – banking and payments. 

How is X different from Twitter?

There isn’t much difference between Twitter and X apart from the “X” logo and the “Post”, and “Repost”. The interface and functionality are pretty much the same.

How are fans taking Twitter’s rebrand to X? 

This rebrand is quite recent and we may not necessarily say it is a failure or a success at the moment. However, there are already reactions to this change, some users are mocking the logo and questioning the decision. 

For some, it is a reminder of what they have to ‘tap to close’ something – a page or file unwanted at the moment. Others swear to “never refer” to Twitter as X, it will always be Twitter! 

Some are enthusiastic about the change as well.

What is the symbol for private Twitter account?

Twitter or X’s symbol for a private account is a padlock at the side of the person’s username, and when you try to open the account you can’t view the content. A private account means the person’s tweets or content is protected and only approved people can view it.

Conclusion  

The truth remains that the change has taken place and as seen, this is partly due to Musk’s obsession with the letter X, why he is that fascinated is a question I still ask myself. 

So, will things be the same? Well, we know that with change always comes change! I guess we shall have to watch, and maybe try this one out and see what more Musk has in store for us.