Elon Musk trashes what remains of Twitter with death of ‘retweet’ and excruciating new ‘X’ tagline
Elon Musk trashes what’s left of Twitter and introduces excruciating new ‘X’ tagline (Chesnot/Getty Images)
Elon Musk has killed off yet more of the Twitter brand, changing the iconic verb “retweet” to “repost”, amid a host of other changes – including sticking a massive neon ‘X’ on the roof of the roof of the company’s head office.
After Twitter rebranded as “X” in July 2023, the billionaire has been making continual updates to the site on what seems like a daily basis.
After changes including a ban on the words “cis” and “cisgender”, and a messy launch of “X” which saw Musk reportedly take the handle @X without asking its previous owner, the website’s tagline has now been changed to “blaze your glory”.
Which means precisely nothing at all.
In the coming weeks, Twitter will reportedly be changing all of its globally recognised bird-themed iconography to the new “X” branding, with Musk previously tweeting: “And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.”
So what has changed this week? Here’s everything you need to know about Twitter’s (or “X” if you prefer) new tagline, and Musk’s latest chaotic moves.
Twitter’s new tagline
Changes to the social media site this week involve changing the tagline of X to “blaze your glory”, a phrase which users immediately mocked for having “massive divorced energy”.
Another joked that the site’s users could blaze their glory “like a Tesla”, referring to reports that Musk’s electric cars had burst into flames.
Other changes involved changing the word “retweet” to “repost”, with some claiming the change has meant the iconic Lady Gaga bop G.U.Y, which says the word “retweet” in its lyrics, is now a relic of the past.
Others have criticised Musk for taking the “unique” concept of tweeting – which had made it into several dictionaries – and turning it into something entirely generic.
“Critical support to Elon for doing more brand damage to his own site than literally anyone else could,” one user said.
Twitter’s new sign at its San Francisco headquarters
After attempting to remove the large “Twitter” sign from the side of the company’s San Francisco headquarters last week, a large, illuminated “X” has since been placed on the top of the building – reportedly held in place by a stack of by sandbags.
Since the erection of the “X”, the city of San Francisco has opened a complaint and launched an investigation into the new sign, with officials saying erecting a new sign requires a permit for safety reasons, AP reported.
The outlet reported that the removal of the “Twitter” sign was halted last week, because Twitter reportedly had not taped off the pavement to keep pedestrians safe from building work.
Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection, told AP: “Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign. The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation.”
Residents opposite the San Francisco headquarters have also complained about the bright light emitting from the new “X” sign, which often lights up in patterns and strobes.
Journalist Christopher J Beale, who lives opposite the building, complained about the brightness of the “X” through his window, claiming “it legit hurt my eyes when they were testing it in daylight.”
He added to CBS News Bay Area: “It’s hard to describe how bright it made this intersection. It was just like a flash of lightning going off.”
Despite these issues, Musk said that Twitter will not be relocating from its California headquarters, saying on Twitter: “San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”
What other changes has Elon Musk made to Twitter?
Since taking over Twitter in October 2022, billionaire Elon Musk has made several changes to the site, many of them affecting LGBTQ+ users.
Alongside deep cuts to moderation and safety staff, the tech billionaire attempted to ban the word “cisgender” on the site, claimed deadnaming and misgendering are now allowed, and he has overseen a huge rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech.
After it was found that anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech had spiked on the platform since Musk’s takeover, the Anti-Defamation League vice-president, Yael Eisenstat, claimed Musk had “emboldened racists, homophobes and antisemites” with the changes.
“His actions to date show that he is not committed to a transparent process where he incorporates the best practices we have learned from civil society groups,” Eisenstat said.
PinkNews has contacted Twitter for comment.
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