Posted by Will “X” Become the new Super App?
Twitter continues its makeover as owner, Elon Musk, announced the latest in a series of changes to the company since his purchase of the social media network. Namely, an “X” will replace Twitter’s iconic bird symbol which until now has characterized the popular platform.
The “X” is consistent with branding across many companies the tech giant owns and operates, including SpaceX, a recently launched artificial intelligence company called xAI, and a site purchased from PayPal in 2017 known as x.com.
Musk indicated the new “X” logo is intended to “embody the imperfections in all of us that make us unique,” in the same vein as poet, E.E. Cummings rebelled against traditional rules of syntax in his writings. “Soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and gradually all the birds,” Musk confirmed.
But the Tesla creator has even larger visions for the recently acquired Twitter app beyond social media usage. CEO Linda Yaccarino, who is the former head of ad sales at NBCUniversal, said the rebrand is just the beginning in a grander strategy to move the app in entirely new directions.
She wrote in a series of posts that “rarely in life or business does one get a second chance to make another big impression.” Apparently a bigger one is coming on the Twitter front, according to Yaccarino. “Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now X will go further, transforming the global town square.”
In lay terms that could mean turning “X” into a so-called super app – or “Everything App” as Musk coined it – a concept which is already popular in Asia. In just one app users are able to do anything from order a taxi, to send money to friends and family, or make store payments, among other features. A similar app, WeChat, boasts over 1 billion users monthly.
Revolutionizing an industry has never seemed to intimidate Twitter’s new owner, and only the future will tell how far the “X” app will become embedded in popular lifestyle. But it will definitely be interesting to watch the story unfold. Read more here.