We will miss you, Twitter Bird 🫡

Elon Musk unveils new "X" logo as Twitter slowly disappears.

Jul 24, 2023

TikTok has quietly introduced text-only posts. (Watch this video from @socialwithtiffanyla for more info). And it couldn’t come at a worse time for Instagram’s Threads app. While the Twitter clone gained 100 million signups in record time, usage has dropped by half, according to Similarweb. Also, the app has dropped in the U.S. download charts from No. 1 to No. 10, according to data.ai.

In today’s newsletter:

X-hausting: Musk unveils new “X” logo as Twitter slowly disappears
Video: Facebook and Instagram announce updates
Emojis: Top 10 in 2023 (so far)

Graphic highlighting the upcoming notable dates in August, such as Black Business Month and National Sandwich Month

Twitter is disappearing 🫠

This is getting X-hausting. If you plan to log into Twitter today, you might notice that the bird logo has disappeared and been replaced with an “X”. But that’s not all that’s changing on Twitter.

Here’s what you need to know…

We will miss you, Twitter Bird 🫡

Elon Musk was busy over the weekend laying out big visual changes to Twitter. For one, he is promising to update the logo from the blue Twitter bird to a white “X” on a black background. And that change could come as early as Monday, according to The Associated Press.

As we get ready to say goodbye to the bird, here’s look back at the evolution of the logo from the NY Times. Fun fact: While the current logo is known as the Twitter bird, previous iterations of the logo were named “Larry the Bird” after NBA legend Larry Bird.

New URL?

But it’s not just the logo that’s changing. On Sunday, Musk tweeted: “X.com now points to Twitter.com.” So, I guess even the URL will be disappearing?

An ‘everything app’

These cosmetic changes are just the latest in a series of updates that have turned the Twitter we all loved to hate into one that we barely recognize (or can use). Since Musk officially took control last fall (it feels so much longer), subscribers and verified users are increasingly given preferential treatment over non-subscribers in terms of functionality (for example, introducing a DM limit for unverified users).

So, how can we make sense of all of these changes? Well, the goal was always to create an “everything app” similar as China’s WeChat app, according to Forbes. And Twitter’s new CEO, Linda Yaccarino essentially tweeted as much.

“X is the future state of unlimited interactivity - centred in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking - creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we're just beginning to imagine.”

Whether Musk and Yaccarino can actually pull this off is questionable right now. Advertisers have fled the platform, causing Twitter to struggle to break even, according to Engadget. And some of Twitter Blue’s earliest subscribers have cancelled their subscriptions, according to a May 2023 post on Mashable.

What it means for your strategy

I think we’re still in a wait-and-see situation, particularly with Threads losing a bit of steam over the last week. So, don’t make any drastic changes just yet. At this point, we just need to get used to the fact that Twitter is slowly being sucked into Musk’s X group of companies, and us along with it.

🥧 SOCIAL SNACK 🥧

Video updates from Facebook and Instagram

Facebook is introducing new Reels editing tools, such as more clipping editing tools and enhanced audio. In the near future, it is also going to make videos more visible on the app. “The Video tab, previously known as Facebook Watch, is now the one-stop shop for everything video on Facebook, including Reels, long-form and Live content.” 👉 Learn more.

Instagram says it will now be even easier to create Reels from a template. Currently, when you create a Reel from a template, you get the audio, number of clips, timing of clips and AR effects automatically added to your Reel. Soon, text and transitions used in the original Reel will also automatically be added to your Reel. 👉 Learn more.

ICYMI

Twitter scraps press email’s auto-reply poop emoji [Mashable]
Meta rolls out first feature update to Threads since launch [CNBC]
TikTok launches its music streaming service in Australia, Mexico and Singapore [TechCrunch]
Reddit takes control of popular subreddit that protested API changes [Engadget]
YouTube updates channel permission controls, making it easier to assign in-app help [Social Media Today]