At first glance, Twitter seems like a perfect app. While that may seem like an exaggeration, it was perfect — at least for a bit of time. What started out as a simple way for people everywhere to share their random everyday thoughts in real time quickly became one of, if not the most, popular and well-known social media app. Even though it has been over a decade since its inception, the app is still able to stay relevant in more ways than one. I’m sure you’ve already heard all about how Tesla CEO and chronic Twitter user himself Elon Musk bought Twitter last year, and though the app has gone through quite a few waves of change — even having moments where it seemed like Twitter would crumble for good — the app is still standing.

Before Elon was able to get his hands on Twitter, things were good. Twitter was seen as something different and fun, allowing users to express their every thought in real time as long as it was 140 characters or less. This approach to self expression let users find and connect with people who shared the same thoughts and interests as them, without having to really think about whether or not they knew them in real life. This gives people the opportunity to interact and share their thoughts with people that they probably wouldn’t have had the chance to meet in the first place. Twitter has now grown into a place that allows anyone the chance to speak what’s on their minds, with various celebrities and brands using Twitter as some kind of diary and giving fans and regular Twitter users alike the opportunity to see a more personal side to them. 

Twitter itself has become a piece of pop culture, such as the numerous memes and reaction pictures that have been made out of tweets and become a part of our everyday vocabulary. (My personal favorite Twitter saga is from a pair of tweets that read: “This edible is taking forever” immediately followed up with “Sega Playstation.”) The impact of Twitter has also spread to various shows, which reference the app in their own universes as well. For instance, in the show “Victorious” one of the main ways that the students communicated was through the website TheSlap.Com, which let characters share their thoughts with the other students who followed them, much like how Twitter works in real life. Some of the characters would even refer to their posts as tweets! In retrospect, it’s kind of crazy to think about just how much an app with such a simple interface and function has been able to seamlessly integrate itself into pop culture, but I guess that’s the beauty of it.

However, after late 2022 when Twitter was acquired by Elon Musk, the app has been through some very interesting changes. One change which I think seems to defeat the entire purpose of Twitter is the implementation of the Twitter Blue subscription program. Promo for Twitter Blue started off easy, launching in the summer of 2021, and informed Twitter users that for the low price of 8 dollars a month they would have the ability to edit their tweets and change the color of their Twitter interface, among other things. Always on the lookout for the next Big Business Deal™, Elon quickly decided to reboot the concept of Twitter Blue in early 2023.

This version of Twitter Blue included the same features that were given in the first iteration, with the added bonus of giving users the ability to gain their own version of a blue verification checkmark, a feature that was previously exclusive to celebrities, companies, and various public figures. In order to get this paid verification system to work, the Twitter users who already had verification checkmarks were stripped of them, and wouldn’t get them back until they had paid for Twitter Blue. Quickly, users everywhere began using this lack of proper verification as an opportunity to impersonate real life companies and people, which went exactly as you would expect — some used it for laughs and others used it to spread misinformation, a consistent problem that Twitter is known for which reached an all time high once the concept of verification checks was briefly thrown to the wind.

Twitter also seemed to face a variety of small issues, some of which are still ongoing, such as videos not being able to play all the way through or having the audio be completely cut off, making it impossible for anyone to get through a single video. There was a brief time where Twitter implemented rate limits, a system where Twitter users were only able to see an allotted amount of Tweets a day, and once their quota was reached users were no longer able to see any new tweets on their timeline. A bit of an unusual idea, considering the fact that Twitter is an app that utilizes real time updates from people all over the world. It would be completely counterintuitive to the function of Twitter to try and place a cap on the amount of tweets that a person sees since it ruins the whole appeal of the app in the first place. Safe to say, the rate limit concept was removed as quickly as it started.

Now that Twitter has officially become X, it seems that Elon is doing everything in his power to rid Twitter of the things that made the app enjoyable and recognizable. Despite being at the helm of one of the biggest and most profitable social media platforms ever, it seems that Elon doesn’t really understand the things that make the app so special, and doesn’t really want to, as he changes the logo and branding to what he thinks is representative of Twitter instead of seeing what it is that people love about the concept of Twitter as a whole. 

Despite the fact that Elon is unable to understand the charm of Twitter, it’s clear that people who use Twitter know what makes it so great. This is one reason why the app is able to stay relevant, despite it seeming like Elon Musk is doing everything in his power to make it crumble. Twitter’s charm isn’t something that can be easily replicated. For instance, Instagram’s new Twitter dupe Threads managed to gain some traction, albeit briefly, but it wasn’t able to take off as well as expected. This shows that the format of Twitter, while easily replicated, won’t be able to produce the same amount of success. There are so many things that make Twitter special. Whether it be the people you follow on your timeline or the ability to join different sectors of Twitter based on your own interests, these are only part of the reason why the app is able to stay standing for so long and will continue to do so. While the app has changed in terms of branding and name, the desire to to express yourself in any way you want while being able to meet and interact with different personalities across your timeline is something that can’t be changed, regardless of who is at the helm.

At first glance, Twitter seems like a perfect app. While that may seem like an exaggeration, it was perfect — at least for a bit of time. What started out as a simple way for people everywhere to share their random everyday thoughts in real time quickly became one of, if not the most, popular and well-known social media app. Even though it has been over a decade since its inception, the app is still able to stay relevant in more ways than one. I’m sure you’ve already heard all about how Tesla CEO and chronic Twitter user himself Elon Musk bought Twitter last year, and though the app has gone through quite a few waves of change — even having moments where it seemed like Twitter would crumble for good — the app is still standing.

Before Elon was able to get his hands on Twitter, things were good. Twitter was seen as something different and fun, allowing users to express their every thought in real time as long as it was 140 characters or less. This approach to self expression let users find and connect with people who shared the same thoughts and interests as them, without having to really think about whether or not they knew them in real life. This gives people the opportunity to interact and share their thoughts with people that they probably wouldn’t have had the chance to meet in the first place. Twitter has now grown into a place that allows anyone the chance to speak what’s on their minds, with various celebrities and brands using Twitter as some kind of diary and giving fans and regular Twitter users alike the opportunity to see a more personal side to them. 

Twitter itself has become a piece of pop culture, such as the numerous memes and reaction pictures that have been made out of tweets and become a part of our everyday vocabulary. (My personal favorite Twitter saga is from a pair of tweets that read: “This edible is taking forever” immediately followed up with “Sega Playstation.”) The impact of Twitter has also spread to various shows, which reference the app in their own universes as well. For instance, in the show “Victorious” one of the main ways that the students communicated was through the website TheSlap.Com, which let characters share their thoughts with the other students who followed them, much like how Twitter works in real life. Some of the characters would even refer to their posts as tweets! In retrospect, it’s kind of crazy to think about just how much an app with such a simple interface and function has been able to seamlessly integrate itself into pop culture, but I guess that’s the beauty of it.

However, after late 2022 when Twitter was acquired by Elon Musk, the app has been through some very interesting changes. One change which I think seems to defeat the entire purpose of Twitter is the implementation of the Twitter Blue subscription program. Promo for Twitter Blue started off easy, launching in the summer of 2021, and informed Twitter users that for the low price of 8 dollars a month they would have the ability to edit their tweets and change the color of their Twitter interface, among other things. Always on the lookout for the next Big Business Deal™, Elon quickly decided to reboot the concept of Twitter Blue in early 2023.

This version of Twitter Blue included the same features that were given in the first iteration, with the added bonus of giving users the ability to gain their own version of a blue verification checkmark, a feature that was previously exclusive to celebrities, companies, and various public figures. In order to get this paid verification system to work, the Twitter users who already had verification checkmarks were stripped of them, and wouldn’t get them back until they had paid for Twitter Blue. Quickly, users everywhere began using this lack of proper verification as an opportunity to impersonate real life companies and people, which went exactly as you would expect — some used it for laughs and others used it to spread misinformation, a consistent problem that Twitter is known for which reached an all time high once the concept of verification checks was briefly thrown to the wind.

Twitter also seemed to face a variety of small issues, some of which are still ongoing, such as videos not being able to play all the way through or having the audio be completely cut off, making it impossible for anyone to get through a single video. There was a brief time where Twitter implemented rate limits, a system where Twitter users were only able to see an allotted amount of Tweets a day, and once their quota was reached users were no longer able to see any new tweets on their timeline. A bit of an unusual idea, considering the fact that Twitter is an app that utilizes real time updates from people all over the world. It would be completely counterintuitive to the function of Twitter to try and place a cap on the amount of tweets that a person sees since it ruins the whole appeal of the app in the first place. Safe to say, the rate limit concept was removed as quickly as it started.

Now that Twitter has officially become X, it seems that Elon is doing everything in his power to rid Twitter of the things that made the app enjoyable and recognizable. Despite being at the helm of one of the biggest and most profitable social media platforms ever, it seems that Elon doesn’t really understand the things that make the app so special, and doesn’t really want to, as he changes the logo and branding to what he thinks is representative of Twitter instead of seeing what it is that people love about the concept of Twitter as a whole. 

Despite the fact that Elon is unable to understand the charm of Twitter, it’s clear that people who use Twitter know what makes it so great. This is one reason why the app is able to stay relevant, despite it seeming like Elon Musk is doing everything in his power to make it crumble. Twitter’s charm isn’t something that can be easily replicated. For instance, Instagram’s new Twitter dupe Threads managed to gain some traction, albeit briefly, but it wasn’t able to take off as well as expected. This shows that the format of Twitter, while easily replicated, won’t be able to produce the same amount of success. There are so many things that make Twitter special. Whether it be the people you follow on your timeline or the ability to join different sectors of Twitter based on your own interests, these are only part of the reason why the app is able to stay standing for so long and will continue to do so. While the app has changed in terms of branding and name, the desire to to express yourself in any way you want while being able to meet and interact with different personalities across your timeline is something that can’t be changed, regardless of who is at the helm.