Tag: elon musk twitter

From Twitter to X: What’s in a name?

Twitter was undoubtedly one of the strongest brands in the world. The brand was so significant that the Oxford dictionary included the word ‘Tweet’ in it, no other social media platform has been able to do that yet. However, under the leadership of Elon Musk, Twitter came crashing down literally. It started off with major layouts followed by user complaints about the new leadership. The introduction of the paid verified check mark titled ‘Twitter Blue’ (now known as X Premium) changed the face of social media entirely. The verified check mark was considered a status symbol which is now also sold by Zuckerberg’s Meta. 

The evolving phase of Twitter and Elon Musk’s leadership changed the face of the platform entirely, from Twitter to X! Before you jump in to understand what the change means, here’s why Musk decided to change the iconic brand name shared by the man himself on X – 

“Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing. The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140-character messages going back and forth – like birds tweeting – but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video. In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world. The Twitter name does not make sense in that context, so we must bid adieu to the bird.”

So… what will the app do now?

Elon Musk has been nothing but vocal about his goal of Turning X (fka Twitter) into an all-purpose platform. China’s WeChat can be considered a goal Musk is trying to achieve as there is no American or global equivalent to such a versatile application. X already allows users to engage in live audio conversations in the form of Spaces, longer posts and broadcasting live videos have also become a thing on the platform. 

In simple terms, Musk envisions X to be your go-to platform for everything ranging from news to entertainment. While many users including me believe that the change of brand from Twitter to X is downright unnecessary, one cannot overlook the fact that the platform is indeed evolving for the good. However, the term ‘X Premium Subscription’ reflected in my bank balance sheet does not sit well with my parents! 

What about Twitter? 

To put it nicely, it’s dead! 

The tech billionaire has done away with Twitter and its familiar blue bird logo. Several parts of the platform have also made a switch like X Premium and the Twitter Help Center changing to X Help Center. 

Musk has wiped his hands clean from the Twitter branding to the point where more than 580 items of the former Twitter brand will be auctioned off in mid-September. So, whether we agree with Musk or not, we all have to bid goodbye to the iconic Twitter brand forever. Rest it peace little blue bird!

The Horrors of Hidden Replies on Twitter

When was the last time your curiosity got the best of you and you ended up clicking the hidden replies tab on Twitter? It is truly one of the most disturbing sections on the internet only second to Reddit (Let’s not open that can of worms for now) The microblogging platform is known to host some of the most vile speaking personalities that need to be censored. Twitter’s response to hate speech and disturbing videos getting posted in the comment section of a tweet was the ‘Hide Reply’ feature which allowed the user to hide replies and diffuse the conversation simply. However, the hidden replies tab is posted right under a tweet which grabs the attention of curious users like me and at times ends up spoiling our day. 

Animal abuse, grotesque killings, extreme sex videos, and racial slurs are some of the few things that a user can find under the hidden replies tab. What’s to be noted here is that Twitter was never this nasty before it was under Elon Musk’s leadership. Many users like me were accustomed to it being a platform for users to consume and participate in conversations surrounding breaking news, politics, celebrity discourse, and much more. In the current scenario, Twitter has become a mere shadow of what it used to be and is transforming into a dystopian wasteland. 

The prominent reason for the influx of cringeworthy content doing the rounds on Twitter can be blamed on Elon’s infamous decision to unban thousands of accounts that were previously banned. Musk wished to become a champion of free speech with his reign on Twitter which quickly backfired in the form of horrible content making its way to the platform. As of now, there has been no official statement on whether Twitter will be launching a crackdown on this epidemic. 

The notoriousness of hidden replies has grown to the point that a hero has risen from the filth – Hidden Replies Checker!!! – Yes, that’s the username of an account that checks the hidden replies for you and gives you a detailed description of what’s going on in the hidden replies section of any specific tweet. Spoiler Alert: almost all of the responses from the account start with a trigger warning which can paint the picture of how bad the situation right now is. 

I’ve been a Twitter user for nearly a decade and this undoubtedly is the darkest phase of the platform I’ve witnessed. Twitter seems to have lost its charm under the weight of loathsome content which needs to be refined under strict guidelines. The next time you feel like clicking on the hidden replies section, make sure you’re ready to stomach some horrible things. 

Elon Musk asks Twitter users if he should resign as CEO

There hasn’t been a dull day on Twitter ever since Elon Musk took command of the platform. Only a few days back, Musk stepped on the stage with Dave Chappelle in San Francisco to get brutally booed by people in the audience. It looks like the public booing has brought about a change of heart for Elon who recently took to Twitter and started a poll asking people if he should quit the Twitter CEO position.

Elon Musk’s CEO resign poll

Elon Musk recently took to Twitter and started a poll asking if he should step down as the head of Twitter. If the results are to be believed, it looks like Musk will be quitting the CEO position soon. He’s promised to abide by the results of the poll and so far there have been over 3.8 million people have voted in the poll, with the majority in favour of him resigning as the CEO of Twitter. Talk about digging your own grave!

It looks like Musk has now accepted the fate of having to step down as the Twitter CEO as he followed up the poll by tweeting ‘As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it’

However, his stepping down as Twitter CEO could be a relief for Musk as he is currently the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. A little decluttering never hurt anyone! Elon does need to divert his attention to Tesla as the company’s stock has plunged 62.55 per cent over the last year, upsetting a number of Tesla shareholders.

It was only yesterday when Elon was spotted in Qatar watching the FIFA world cup final between France and Argentina with Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of Donald Trump. It was only back in October when it was revealed that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal from Saudi Arabia and his investment firm was the second-largest investor of Twitter. This has brought about another backlash towards Musk who was already under public scrutiny. In the short time Elon took over Twitter, there has been the Twitter blue controversy, massive lay-offs, suspension of journalists from the platform, the Apple controversy, and much more! It will be interesting to see how things pan out once Elon has stepped down from the CEO position of Twitter, or will he?

Elon Musk ideates an ‘Alternative Phone’ if Twitter is removed from Apple and Google stores

What happens when tech giants like Apple and Google decide to drop an application from their app stores? Besides the obvious lawsuits, the banned application or platform takes a major hit when it comes to revenue and adding new users. Something on similar lines was witnessed by Epic Games’ Fortnite when Apple and Google decided to drop the game from their platform. Now, Elon Musk has shared what his plans are for if and when Apple and Google drop Twitter from their respective stores.

Elon Musk’s ‘Alternative Phone’

Musk fanatics are quick to support the billionaire when it comes to almost anything. But, will they buy a phone to use Twitter and prove their loyalty to him? Musk surely thinks so as he recently hinted that he may have to create an alternative phone.

Both Apple and Google charge app developers a fee of 15-30% on all-app transactions. On the other hand, Twitter is all set to roll out the $8 Blue subscription yet again. Since it will be an in-app purchase, Twitter will have to adhere to the rules laid out by Apple/Google to pay up the 15-30% fee. It is not sure whether Musk will retaliate against this practice by the tech giants or simply go with it. Thus, when a known podcast host put forward the idea of Musk making his own smartphone device, the billionaire found it interesting.

Elon Musk tweeted that if it ever comes to the point where Apple and Google kick Twitter out of their respective app stores then he would be left with no other choice but to build his own alternative smartphone. Musk fanatics were quick to jump in and write that he has the potential to revolutionize the smartphone market. Is a Tesla phone in the works? We’ll see!

Twitter may face bankruptcy soon

We could be watching Twitter go from a prominent social media platform to a thing of the past in real-time! Elon Musk recently took charge of Twitter after a 44 billion acquisition and quickly started making radical changes to the platform ranging from the $8 verified check and suspending accounts left and right. These decisions made by Musk have surely changed people’s perception of the platform as it is facing a considerable backlash. Now, it looks like Twitter is facing a threat of bankruptcy, as Elon himself has raised this concern.

Twitter to face bankruptcy?

Bloomberg was one of the first portals to report that Twitter is facing a bankruptcy threat. Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk has raised concerns about the social media platform going bankrupt on the same day Twitter received a warning from a United States regulator. Musk told Twitter employees that he could not rule out bankruptcy just two weeks after buying the company. As per reports, Musk held the first meeting with his Twitter employees recently where he warned that the company may end up losing billions of dollars in 2023.

According to Musk, the company was losing more than $4 million on a daily basis as more and more advertisers started fleeing the platform once he took over. Reports suggest that the massive 44 billion deal to buy Twitter has reportedly put Twitter’s finances in a precarious position. Reports suggest that Twitter was brought by Musk with $13 billion in debt, on which it faces interest payments of $1.2 billion in the next 12 months. These payments exceed Twitter’s disclosed cash flow of $1.1 billion.

If the bankruptcy threat is actually looming over Twitter then Elon’s $8 Twitter Blue subscription could become the shining light in the dark. However, with easy access to a verified mark, more and more parody accounts are popping up on the platform which is exactly the opposite of what Musk promised. Twitter’s boss now has to figure out how to manage the parody accounts menace while also dealing with the bankruptcy threat.

 

Impersonators on Twitter will be banned permanently, says Musk

If you haven’t been under the rocks for the past few weeks then I am sure you know Elon Musk is now the new Twitter boss. After an expensive acquisition, Elon Musk bought the micro-blogging app and is bringing upon several changes to the platform. One of his most controversial changes to Twitter (besides mass layoffs) has been the $8 Twitter Blue fee which allows users to get a verified check. Many on the platform have argued that allowing people to pay a certain monthly payment for a verified status on Twitter could lead to an epitome of impersonators of famous celebrities and politicians on the platform. Musk himself is not safe as a slew of Elon impersonators were seen popping up like mushrooms on Twitter. It looks like the Twitter boss finally has a crackdown on this menace.

Impersonators to be banned from Twitter

Elon recently Tweeted – ‘Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended’ This news comes just a few days after Twitter suspended several users who had changed their usernames to Elon Musk to impersonate the billionaire. Some high-profile celebrities also hopped on the trend and face consequences including comedian Kath Griffin whose account has now been suspended.

Musk also shared that previously a warning was issued before account suspension on the platform. However, the new rules do not give users such a luxury as their accounts will be discarded swiftly. Accepting that users won’t impersonate any known face is also a condition they would have to agree to while signing up on Twitter Blue. Musk wrote – ‘Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.’

This won’t be all as any changes to a Twitter Blue username will temporarily lose the verified checkmark! This decision by Elon has yet again sparked the debate of whether the billionaire is actually the champion of free speech that he has vocally advertised himself and Twitter to be.

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