Elon Musk has made a noticeable change on Twitter. On Monday, without an explanation, the social media site debuted a new logo on the web version. The Twitter logo on the top left corner was replaced with the “doge” icon, of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency. The logo shows a Shiba Inu making a funny face.
What is Dogecoin?
Dogecoin is a blockchain and cryptocurrency created in 2013, made to make fun of other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Musk is a big fan of Dogecoin, using its memes often and even referencing it while hosting Saturday Night Live.
Why did Musk change the logo?
No one knows what goes on in Musk’s head, but he tweeted a screenshot of a Twitter exchange from some time ago that shows a pretty simple explanation. In the screenshot, some Twitter users said, “Just buy Twitter and change the bird logo to a doge.” Musk replied, “Haha that would be sick.”
What has been the public’s response?
Ever since Musk bought Twitter, every day on the app has felt like the apocalypse. The app, largely used by journalists and writers, has become a steady source of income for them. Any change or lag in functioning prompts millions of tweets about ta change in their livelihoods. Over the past months, Twitter has tried to come up with novel ways of filtering out white noise so to speak, granting everyone equal footing with the invention of the paid subscription service Twitter Blue. It hasn’t been great.
The addition of the doge hasn’t done much for Musk’s fan base but it also doesn’t change anything significantly. People are mostly calling the change cringey and useless. Still, regular Twitter users can’t seem to quit the app, no matter what Musk does or how messy the app experience.