Bonum Certa Men Certa

Pressing X on X (Twitter Abandoned En Masse)

Annoyed cutie from 'Who Called Me' website: Twitter rank
Twitter (now "X") is already quite irrelevant this year



Summary: Twitter's rebrand accomplished nothing, but it did change the news cycle for almost a week; was this worth 44 billion dollars?

SOME time ago we said we'd strive to issue quick weekly reports on Twitter's demise, which was long in the making (even before Elon Musk). We did not envision a name change; keeping track of something called "X" is very difficult.



A lot of the "meat" is in the links at the bottom, but to give a rough overview, a week after the rebrand the feedback is overwhelmingly negative. David Revoy (digital artist) dubbed it "Scary" and wrote: "I was just thinking about how the bluebird social network was rebranded, and how it now feels legitimate to give it a place in the museum of dead social networks... "

Many people are heartbroken because they think Twitter "contains" their friends. Many businesses mope because they "invested" in "X" (before it was "X"). Many publishers think their readers/audience are Twitter users (many no longer log in, so they see a sharp decrease in activity).

We've already said things about the trademark issues (there's more [1]), the plan to bribe people to come/stay [2], and the fact not many people remain in social control media after they leave Twitter [3]. There's an anticlimatic feeling. There are jokes [4] and heckles [5], even rumours about "X" abandoning the office (a claim they deny [6]) despite the new sign [7]. There's growing backlash about bringing back hate [8] and controversial statements [9], not to mention the misguided strategy [10] as explained by departing managers [11]. "The end of Twitter" [12] is discussed and one site says that "Twitter burns to the ground" [13] amid moderation controversies [14-16] and inane restrictions [17], even national bans [18]. While most headlines focused on the new logo and name (e.g. [19-30]), there was also criticism of the "app" culture [31-32] as advertiser continue fleeing [33].

If the intention was to shift the subject or to draw a lot of attention, then it probably worked. But there's a high hidden cost here and it seems like both advertisers and users quit in droves. It's a death spiral.

Related/contextual items from the news:


  1. 2023-07-25 [Older] The Problem With X? Meta, Microsoft, Hundreds More Own Trademarks to New Twitter Name
  2. 2023-07-24 [Older] Twitter CEO teases banking and payment plans in memo about X rebrand


  3. The Weird, Fragmented World of Social Media After Twitter
    The common forum that Elon Musk destroyed will never be replaced—and that’s okay.


  4. Following the Success of Twitter for Instagram People, We Bring You Other Meta Versions of Apps You Already Have
    We’re thrilled to announce that we’re developing a whole suite of new products that are like products you already know but designed to capture a larger audience than ever before.


  5. FOSS Week in Review: Happy Sysadmin Day, SEC’s New Cyber Attack Rules, and Musk Steals User Handle

    Be nice to your SysAdmin, SEC makes rules for reporting cyber attacks, and Musk purloins a user's $40,000 Twitter X handle.



  6. Musk says X won’t leave San Francisco despite city facing ‘doom spiral’
    Billionaire Elon Musk says Twitter – the social media company he is in the midst of rebranding as "X" – will keep its headquarters in San Francisco despite the "doom loop" the city is facing as big-name businesses head for the exits.


  7. 2023-07-29 [Older] 'X' Logo Installed Atop Twitter Building, Spurring San Francisco to Investigate Permit Violation


  8. Twitter/X Quietly Reactivates Kanye’s Account

    Twitter/X quietly reactivates Kanye West’s account, but reports say he will be unable to monetize his account, and no ads will appear alongside his posts. X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has reinstated the€ account of Ye, the disgraced rapper and business mogul formerly known as Kanye West.



  9. 2023-07-28 [Older] Twitter Users Vote Down a Note Correcting Elon's Bogus Vaccine Tweet


  10. 2023-07-28 [Older] Esther Crawford on Twitter, Before and After Charles Foster Musk’s Takeover


  11. 2023-07-28 [Older] Former Twitter exec spills the beans on Elon Musk's lack of empathy and more


  12. 2023-07-28 [Older] The end of Twitter – how Elon Musk's rebrand to X could foster the platform's dark side


  13. 2023-07-25 [Older] Threads adds a chronological feed as Twitter burns to the ground


  14. 2023-07-27 [Older] Twitter Unbans Conspiracy Theorist Who Posted 'Child Exploitation Pictures'
  15. 2023-07-26 [Older] Twitter Deletes Its Own Fact Check Correcting Elon's Bogus Vaccine Tweet


  16. 2023-07-27 [Older] You’ll Never Guess What Twitter Did With the Guy Who Had the @x Handle (Spoiler: You Will Guess)


  17. 2023-07-22 [Older] Twitter is limiting the number of DMs unverified users can send


  18. 2023-07-26 [Older] Indonesia Blocks Elon Musk's X.com Over Pornography Concerns


  19. 2023-07-26 [Older] Twitter’s rebrand to X could worsen its legal and financial problems
  20. 2023-07-25 [Older] X's and Xeets: What we know about Twitter's rebrand, new logo so far
  21. 2023-07-25 [Older] Twitter renaming to X


  22. 2023-07-24 [Older] Twitter's Bird Logo Dies By Musk's Hands, Now It's Time to Drive X Into the Ground
  23. 2023-07-24 [Older] Linda Yaccarino on X
  24. 2023-07-24 [Older] Twitter's blue bird has flown as Elon Musk unveils new 'X' logo
  25. 2023-07-24 [Older] The Morning After: Twitter rebrands itself as X and ditches the bird
  26. 2023-07-24 [Older] Twitter begins its transition to 'X' after changing its iconic bird logo
  27. 2023-07-24 [Older] ‘If Other Media Companies Thought About Brand Equity the Way Elon Musk Thinks About Twitter’s (Er, X’s)’
  28. 2023-07-24 [Older] The weird sorrow of losing Twitter
  29. 2023-07-24 [Older] Bye-bye birdie: Twitter is X now
  30. 2023-07-23 [Older] Elon Musk is rebranding Twitter to ‘X’ and killing the bird logo


  31. 2023-07-30 [Older] Following the Success of Twitter for Instagram People, We Bring You Other Meta Versions of Apps You Already Have


  32. 2023-07-28 [Older] Elon Musk Says He'll Force Dark Mode on Twitter Users, Quickly Changes His Mind


  33. 2023-07-25 [Older] Advertisers planning to move their ad spending from Twitter to Threads




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