In the times of flying social media and technology, not even the most successful innovators are beyond committing gaffes. That was what happened when Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of companies like Tesla and SpaceX, and the social media platform X formerly called Twitter, made headlines recently in a rather humorous mistake: referring to X as if it were still called Twitter during a public appearance.
The Rise from Twitter to X
In 2022, the very moment Elon Musk took over Twitter was the beginning of an end to a set of radical changes. This won’t happen because high-profile, very controversial changes, such as renaming Twitter to X, will push the app an inch away from its microblogging roots and toward being an everything app with support for social media, payments, and much more vision he has spoken on for quite some time now.
Well, it was only rebranding, but for such a great ambition to come true—to create a platform that can integrate all the digital experiences into one ecosystem. Well, this transition has truly been difficult. Many users sometimes—along with Musk himself—refer to the platform with its old name: Twitter.
The Blunder: A Slip of the Tongue, or a Sign of Something More?
That single recent interview is where the slip of his tongue happened to utter X as Twitter, and that incident spread like a bushfire, amusing many others as much as it was criticized by others. For some, the gaffe was relatable and endearing; to others, though, it seemed to suggest that maybe even Musk himself has a hard time breaking free from the past.
But this isn’t just a mistake; it shows the difficulty in rebranding an already popular brand. With its instantly recognizable blue bird logo, Twitter-with the verb “tweet”-had become deeply embedded in the international lexicon. This rebranding exercise is going to need a sea change in perception at the level of human beings, and even Musk himself, Heading this name change, has been found to fumble over the old name sometimes.
Impact on the Identity of X
Musk’s slip only goes to prove that somehow, X seems in an identity crisis. Without anything huge in plans of rebranding, users had been referring to it until now, with the use of the term “tweet” found practical application versus “post” or from Musk’s suggestion, “xeet.” Well obviously, with any company attaining strong cultural resonance, the tension of rebranding identity will be there. Only then will X really put on the cloak of its new identity without the shadow of Twitter? It is going to be much more than a name change; it’s all about articulating a greater vision for the platform, as envisaged by Musk. The Road Ahead Elon Musk’s slip about Twitter provides a humorous postscript to a fidgety list of achievements and a serious reminder of what such innovation and change may presage. The rebranding of a platform that is now recognizable globally is no easy feat for a person with the reputation of Musk. It’s going to be interesting to see how the platform handles this transition and can finally establish itself under the new identity if X is to keep evolving into what it is today. Meanwhile, Musk’s slip-up was just a moment of relatableness; it’s those things that go on to show that even billionaires forget at times. Be that as it may, users will eventually migrate to X just like they once did to Twitter; one thing is certain, though it’s a long way from Twitter to X.
