Elon Musk wants to rename Twitter – here’s why it’s going to be such a huge challenge -TGN

If someone told you to type x.com into your browser, you’d understandably be suspicious.

But that’s what Elon Musk wants you to visit the site formerly – in his mind at least – known as Twitter.

Nine months later the world’s richest man bought one of the world’s most popular social media platformsthe great rebranding he has long threatened has begun.

Twitter’s iconic bird logo is gonereplaced with a generic X, as part of a bold move to “the everything app” that handles much more than just your desire to get into fights with strangers online.

What is “the everything app”?

Audio, video and even banking will be core functions, says CEO Linda Yaccarinoinspired by Musk’s admiration for China‘s all-encompassing WeChat app.

More than a billion people use WeChat for everything from playing games and making payments, as well as traditional social media functions such as public posting, private messaging, and photo sharing.

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Musk would love such a user base for X – it would certainly help a company that has been unprofitable for a long time and saddled with debt to become a more sustainable company.

But it would require a sharp change in the wind direction of the platform.

By verification checkmarks going behind a paywallUnpleasant apply read limits and restoring controversial banned accounts like those of Andrew Tate And Donald TrumpMusk’s decisions so far have led many users and advertisers to seek new pastures.

‘Great challenge’ to rebrand Twitter

But whatever your impression of the platform, there is no doubting its influence.

“Tweet” has become as synonymous with communication as email or SMS. It is in the Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries. And think how many news bulletins and articles begin with those fateful words: “(insert politician’s name here) has tweeted…”

Ed East, chief executive of social media consultancy Bill Dollar Boy, told Sky News that Twitter has become “established in society”. It will be a “tremendous challenge” to force its users – and the world – to adapt.

Read more:Why do so many apps adopt the same look?How Boris Johnson’s premiership collapsed on Twitter

Musk may be taking a page out of rival Mark Zuckerberg‘s book by trying to change what has become a poisoned brand for many.

But even in his desperation to distract people from how toxic the Facebook name had become after a series of moderation and data privacy scandals, Zuckerberg didn’t go that far, with Facebook placed under new parent company name Meta rather than the platform itself changing as well.

Of course, it’s Meta that poses the biggest threat to Musk’s platform, with its unashamedly similar Threads that fastest growing app in history earlier this month.

Impersonation is the sincerest form of flattery when it comes to social media, and Zuckerberg has proven to be the master of copying rivals. What Musk will have to prove is whether Twitter users look longingly at WeChat.

He may have played a pivotal role in the founding of PayPal, but it’s hard to imagine someone looking at how Twitter has run over the past year and thinking, “Now there’s a company I’d trust to manage my banking.”

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From free bird to dead bird

Ultimately, however, Musk has long shown contempt for what others think about how he should run things.

After being all but forced to buy Twitter trying to go back on its original offer in April 2022he seemed to have the most fun just becoming the main character.

And since he is the founder of SpaceX And infamously named one of his children Xthe name change ties the platform closer than ever to Musk’s personal brand.

Never mind “the bird is free,” as Musk tweeted shortly after taking over, he’s dead now — and Musk doesn’t want anyone in doubt about who killed him.

X is given to us whether we like it or not.