On Sunday morning, I woke up to a surprising change on my Twitter app. The familiar blue icon with a white bird had been replaced with a single letter, X. It almost seemed like my iPhone was telling me that Elon Musk’s Twitter had made a mistake. As if that wasn’t enough, the bird icon disappeared as well, replaced by a white-on-black 𝕏. This rebranding process started with the website, followed by Musk’s decision to replace the Twitter signage on the company’s San Francisco headquarters with a giant glowing X on the rooftop.
This new X obsession is not new for Musk, as he has been trying to make it happen for years. Even his creation of Tesla’s model names “S,” “3,” “X,” and “Y” was a nod to Musk’s desire to spell out “S3XY.” Twitter followed suit by giving conference rooms names like “eXposure” and “s3Xy.” It’s clear that Musk’s fascination with X goes beyond just a simple logo change.
But let’s face it, the new X branding is embarrassing. Product designer Chad Ashley tweeted, “Anyone else look at the 𝕏 icon and not even want to open this app?” He couldn’t be more right. The X logo feels like a nerdy middle-school boy’s notebook doodle, and it’s hard to take it seriously.
Perhaps this embarrassment is a good thing. Social media, as a cultural phenomenon, has its downsides. People were not meant to communicate with each other as much as they do on these platforms. Anything that challenges this excessive communication can be seen as a positive. However, Twitter, like other social media platforms, already carries the mindset of a seventh grader, which Musk’s behavior only amplifies. Maybe we should be grateful that his X fetish forces us to confront this truth and ultimately move on from it.
Twitter, in its previous form, seemed harmless. Before it became an addiction and a company, it was just a word associated with bird sounds and idle chatter. How could something so innocent lead to so much harm?
The reality is, it did. Twitter normalized the idea of a platform where everyone could speak to everyone simultaneously. When it first launched in 2006, this concept wasn’t the norm. People might have had blogs, but their reach was limited to closed online networks. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Orkut, for example, were designed around communities of trust. Twitter changed that by expanding the act of posting to a global scale, and Instagram followed suit.
This shift from social networks to social media had cultural consequences. It created an expectation that everyone should have an audience for every little thought, joke, photo, or action they share. It’s a selfish mindset that treats the world as a stage for constant self-expression. Going against this norm is now seen as controversial.
This mentality has had its effects. Online public shaming became rampant, fueled by the abundance of public data and the viral nature of Twitter. QAnon and the planning of the January 6 insurgency also thrived on Twitter’s ability to spread messages quickly without comment. Every other social media platform adopted Twitter’s retweet feature because of its ability to generate engagement. In fact, it’s almost impossible to imagine social media without this feature.
These are the functional influences that Twitter has had, and many are well-recognized. However, Twitter and other similar platforms have also changed aesthetic life. They have brought to the forefront a style characterized by juvenile narcissism. The X rebranding is the epitome of this style, with its edgy yet corny name that evokes various associations.
This style emerged from online subcultures that thrived on social media. The internet’s vastness allowed communities at the fringe to connect and find their place. While some of these communities improved the lives of their members, they also amplified and normalized certain behaviors, including the dorky mindset of the computer nerds who shaped the internet.
Online culture began as a refuge for socially awkward individuals who found solace in machines rather than people. Their fantasy of finding power through technology eventually became a reality, and they adopted the bravado of the jocks they once despised. However, their nerdy behavior never truly faded away. Yet, the general public never agreed to adopt their worldview as the foundation for all aspects of life, including politics, society, and aesthetics. But somehow, we did.
Musk’s obsession with the X branding and his unapologetic display of it forces us to confront this baggage. It serves as a reminder that the world’s richest man is a computer geek with immense power. It also highlights the dark side of the internet’s history, which we often choose to ignore. The internet is both magical and empowering, but it is also childlike and disgusting.
If the X rebranding leaves you disgusted, it’s important to remember that it goes beyond just Musk. It unveils the unpleasant truth that has always been lurking beneath the surface. The internet is not all cute and charming; it’s a cesspool. We cannot continue pretending that the stench doesn’t exist. It’s time to acknowledge the flaws of our online culture and move towards a better future.
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