VOA科学技术2023--Twitter Introduces New ‘X’ Logo to Replace Blue Bird

Twitter Introduces New ‘X’ Logo to Replace Blue Bird

Twitter owner Elon Musk¹ has launched a new logo – the single letter "X" – to replace the social media service's famous blue bird.

The X design started appearing at the top of Twitter's computer version on Monday. But the old bird logo could still be seen across areas of the service.

Musk announced in a Twitter message Sunday that he had decided² to change the company's logo. He said he had asked his millions of followers³ to provide logo ideas and if they would favor a change in the service's colors from blue to black.

When asked what tweets would be called without the blue bird logo, Musk said they would now be known as "Xs."

The latest change is one in a series Musk has carried out since buying Twitter for $44 billion last year.

The billionaire businessman dismissed about 75 percent of the company's workforce⁴ soon after the deal closed. Musk said the move was necessary to make Twitter more effective and increase profits. He also announced plans to start charging Twitter users eight dollars a month to keep a verified account.

As Twitter chief, Musk also lifted some existing restrictions⁵ on user content. He said those changes were part of a larger effort to protect the free speech of Twitter users. Critics said his plans were likely to increase the amount of harmful content and hate speech appearing on the service.

Musk's changes led to drops in the number of Twitter users. Some advertisers stopped doing business with the company, as well.

In a message on Twitter Monday, chief executive Linda Yaccarino wrote, "X is here! Let's do this." Along with her message, she published a picture of the logo projected onto the building's headquarters in San Francisco

Musk also commented on the logo change, writing, "And soon we shall bid adieu to the twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds." Musk said the X.com web domain⁶ was already redirecting users to Twitter.com.

A three-member team designed the first Twitter logo in 2012. One of those designers, Martin Grasser, described the blue bird logo as "simple, balanced" and easy to read at very small sizes.

Matt Rhodes is with the British creative agency House 337. He told news agency Reuters that making changes to such an established brand presents big business risks. "Anything that makes it harder for people to find, or want to open the app on their cluttered⁸ phone screens risks harming usage," Rhodes said.

However, Paolo Pescatore, a technology and media specialist who founded advisory⁹ company PP Foresight¹⁰, said the change could be good. He spoke¹¹ to the Associated Press.

Pescatore said social media users currently can get confused by too many apps and messaging services to choose from. Driving users to one central place will "engage" more users and could make Twitter easier to use, he said.

Musk has long been interested in the letter X. He had already changed Twitter's official name to X Corp after buying the company.

The billionaire is also CEO of rocket company Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, commonly known as SpaceX. He started an artificial intelligence company this month called xAI to compete with OpenAI. And in 1999, he founded a startup called X.com, an online financial services company now known as PayPal.

Musk's Twitter purchase and rebranding effort are seen as steps toward his stated plans to create what he has called an "everything app." Such an app would be similar to China's WeChat, which combines video, messaging, streaming and payments.

Yaccarino wrote on Twitter that she sees X becoming "the future state of unlimited¹² interactivity¹³ – centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities."

Words in This Story

logo – n. to interest someone in something and keep them thinking about it

verify – v. to prove something is true

content – n. information or ideas that appear in books, movies or on the internet

bid adieu – v. say goodbye

brand – n. a kind of product made by a particular company under a particular name

clutter⁷ – n. a state of being messy

confuse – v. to mix up someone's mind or ideas

engage – v. to interest someone in something and keep them thinking about it

gradually – adv. moving forward in steps or degrees

app – n. a computer program that performs a special function, usually found on mobile phones

streaming – n. the continuous transmission of video files from a server to a viewer

1 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

4 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

7 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

8 cluttered   

v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满…

参考例句：

• The room is cluttered up with all kinds of things. 零七八碎的东西放满了一屋子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The desk is cluttered with books and papers. 桌上乱糟糟地堆满了书报。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

10 foresight   

n.先见之明，深谋远虑

参考例句：

• The failure is the result of our lack of foresight.这次失败是由于我们缺乏远虑而造成的。
• It required a statesman's foresight and sagacity to make the decision.作出这个决定需要政治家的远见卓识。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

13 interactivity   

相互作用

参考例句：

• You can just sit and watch it, but it also had interactivity. 你仅仅能坐着并且看它，但是它也有了互动性。 来自互联网
• The teachers can employ various forms to carry out teaching interactivity. 导学课进行教学互动，可以采用多种形式。 来自互联网