Imagine waking up one morning to find a ‘new’ app on your phone. That was the case for many Twitter users around the world. If you were a Twitter user before the platform became X, you were used to seeing the familiar blue bird. But now, the app’s logo and identity have transformed into an X sign. This unexpected change has left many thinking, ‘What is X?’
Several people wonder what caused this development on Twitter and what it means for them. While those are all very valid questions, there’s no cause for alarm. The Twitter, now X, rebrand is primarily a result of a switch in owners. This blog post explains all you need to know about X.
Why Is Twitter X?
In July 2022, Elon Musk acquired the famous Twitter app for $44 billion. The South Africa-born American billionaire purchased this social media platform with a total rebrand in mind. This rebrand started by changing the app’s name and giving Twitter an entirely new brand identity known as X.
In his speech, Elon added that he envisions X becoming an “everything” app. Therefore, the new management has made specific changes to the app to ensure this becomes a reality. Linda Yaccarino, X’s CEO, stated in a speech that “X will become the platform that can deliver everything.”
Several people, shocked by this development, left common questions like, “Why is Twitter X?” and “Why rebrand the app?” The current owner of Twitter, now X, only stated that he is fond of the letter X. So, it would only make sense for him to name the app after his favorite letter. And this singular act enabled the movement for free speech.
The new version of X allows premium users to post more characters, providing a platform for in-depth and expressive communication. X stated that this change enhances your experience and encourages more personal expression.
Following this development, X users now experience unlimited interactivity with each other, allowing room for comprehensive communication.
What Is the X App For?
X is a marketplace for ideas that allows users to share information and permits free speech. This app is making waves because many other social media apps refuse free speech.
To answer the ever-lingering question, “What is the X app for?” we have listed six things you can do with the app, such as:
- Run and manage your businesses by connecting directly with customers.
- Post content for a global audience and join global conversations.
- Stay informed on happenings around the world.
- The community notes confirm the authenticity of news and information shared within the app.
- You can share your work directly on X, even long essays if you’re a journalist.
- X now allows room for product reviews and blogs.
Features of the X App
In addition to the endless advantages of the X rebrand, the app now has new features. While some may argue that these features are unnecessary, others insist they are essential.
Below are five of the most interesting new features on X since the rebrand from Twitter:
- Premium users can now post long essays and no longer have the 280-character post restriction.
- X now allows users to post long videos.
- There are no longer restrictions for video content creators.
- The X team now pays verified users for their content and engagement on the app. Thereby creating a means of income for thousands of its users.
- X currently allows professional accounts to have subscribers. The subscribers pay a fee, so the creators profit from their content.
Seeing all the new features and plans Musk has for the X app, many have speculated several theories. Some have said that the app will eventually become a similar version of Chinese social media, WeChat.
Despite being very popular in Asia, Europe and America cannot access these apps. As a result, X will be the next big thing if it can adopt this technology for users.
Since the major rebranding, the one con the brand has suffered is a loss of brand awareness. To this effect, many users decided to leave the app. This decline in customers, though not very much, impacted many big content creators, causing them to lose followers.
Aside from this problem, the company’s rebrand has no negative effects on users. X still protects all their users’ sensitive information with strict privacy guidelines.
If X attains all of Elon’s planned goals, it will be the Everything App soon. The app will have features like and not restricted to:
- Mobile payments
- Voice messaging
- Text messaging
- Gaming
- Location sharing
- Video and photo sharing
If you don’t have the X app or haven’t upgraded it since the rebrand, you may be missing out. Simply visit the app stores to do so.
Who Is Allowed on X?
X allows anyone 13 years or older unlimited access to the app. If you, a parent, are worried about the content your kids consume, there is no need to panic. You can always tweak their algorithm in the privacy settings.
By setting the privacy on their accounts, you can prevent your child or adolescent from consuming certain content users display.
X is a social platform that allows a large amount of adult content that is not often suitable for kids. Due to this reason, many parents worldwide insist that the platform is unsuitable for anyone under 18. Also, concerned adults have put out petitions to campaign for an increase in the minimum age of a user.
This petition is set to remove minors from the app and protect them from all inappropriate content on X.
If you feel the rebrand is unsuitable for your ward, you can take them off and remove all their data.
Hate speech and violence are up there with the many things the X user-safety team frowns upon.
Your big question now has an answer. However, it is normal to wonder if the X app is safe for users if ‘everything’ is allowed.
The X team has specified that free speech does not translate to a room for hate speech or cyberbullying. To this effect, they have set certain guidelines to ensure peak user experience at all times in the app.
Let’s look at some guidelines and examples of content not allowed on X.
1. Guidelines on Safety
X’s guidelines on safety are to be taken very seriously to avoid an indefinite ban on your account. The six guidelines for safety include:
- Sexual exploitation of children and minors is seriously frowned upon on X.
- Violent speeches or supporting violent speeches are prohibited.
- Hateful conduct, like attacking people based on their ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, or however they choose to represent themselves, is unacceptable.
- X does not allow content that promotes or encourages suicide or self-harm of any sort.
- Excessively gory content like a murder scene or violent sexual activity is not allowed on the app.
- Businesses that sell or distribute illegal goods and services, such as drugs, are prohibited.
2. Guidelines on Privacy
To protect the privacy of others, X has set in place certain privacy guidelines. The main three of them are:
- Users are not allowed to share the personal information or data of others on the app.
- Nonconsensual nudity is heavily frowned upon. Users are not allowed to post pictures or videos of others in intimate positions without their consent.
- You can’t use credentials to modify any information on any X account other than yours.
3. Guidelines on Authenticity
X has strict rules to ensure authenticity on the platform. Here are five of them:
- X sternly prohibits spam and platform manipulation.
- No use of deceptive and misleading identities within the app.
- The app does not allow any manipulated or synthetic media likely to cause harm.
- You must respect other people’s trademarks and copyright.
- X cannot allow users to use the app’s services in civic dishonesty, like interfering with elections.
4. Guidelines on Third-party Video Content Advertising
Third-party advertising without the permission or consent of the X team is not allowed. Materials like sponsorship graphics and video ads require consent from X before you can post them. However, you can enjoy the video conferencing feature on the app without restrictions.
Now that Twitter has rebranded into X, many people will want to transform their accounts to meet new algorithm changes. If you want to take a new turn on the content you post, you do not need a new account. All you have to do is delete all the tweets or a bulk of them you don’t need.
Now that we’ve answered “What is X?” what to do next is up to you. If you choose to delete all your tweets, there are so many ways to go about it. However, a tweet deletion tool is the most effective way to eliminate old tweets.
At TweetEraser, we have gone to extra lengths to provide highly efficient mechanisms to help you delete bulk tweets. Our web application lets you sweep-clean your entire X account and start afresh or select tweets to delete in bulk. Start filtering and cleaning your Twitter timeline today!