In 1961, people used to say, “Let’s Twist Again.” In 2006, they said, “Let’s tweet again.” And in 2022, people were supposed to start saying, “Let’s X again.”
People “Google.” They “Uber.” And even though it has been 25 months since Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion and renamed it “X,” people the world over still tweet and retweet. And when X is mentioned anywhere, it is almost always followed by a note explaining that the social media platform was “formerly known as Twitter.”
Apparently, even top-level X executives have acknowledged that the platform cannot get rid of the term “tweets” because what exactly could one say after posting on X? According to Musk it should be “Xs,” as in “it was Xsed,” or “re-Xsed.” But that just sounds awkward to many ears.
Twitter was launched in 2006, and “tweet” was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary five years later. It is doubtful that “X” will reach a dictionary anytime soon.
X currently has 500 million monthly active users, down from 542 million before Musk took over, and Fidelity, reported CNN, has assessed that today’s value for the overall company is $9.4 billion.
Pictured above: Scottish muralist Rebel Bear’s two renditions of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter that appeared in Scotland capital Edinburgh.
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