Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1504427
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 26 JULY 2023 NEWS A contractor removes the Twitter sign on the company's headquarters at the corner of 10th and Market streets slew of apps, so driving usage all towards one destination will increase engagement and ultimately make it easier for them," he said. Others predicted the new name will confuse much of Twitter's audience, which has already been souring on the social media platform follow- ing Musk's other changes, in- cluding limiting the number of tweets users can read each day. The new threshold is part of an $8-per-month subscription service Musk rolled out earlier this year in an attempt to in- crease Twitter revenue. Wiping out Twitter's brand name recognition that was built up over 15 years is an "ex- tremely risky move," because it means Musk is "essentially starting over while its competi- tion is afoot," said Mike Proulx, a research director at global market research company For- rester. Twitter users pointed out that few people refer to Alpha- bet, Google's parent company since 2015. Facebook renamed itself Meta in 2021, but its col- lection of apps -- Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook -- still retain their own brands and logos. But Pescatore said it might be the right time for the sweeping rebranding that Musk seems to have in mind. "The removal of Twitter from existence will be difficult for many users to understand," Pescatore said. However, "maybe it is time for some- thing new in light of the nega- tive sentiment surrounding the company. A new start over this challenging period of major disruption and (an) appeal to new audiences." Musk has shown a disdain toward Twitter's previous corporate culture. He has quibbled with the number of bird references in the compa- ny's internal team names and products. At one point, he changed the name of a crowd- sourced fact-checking feature to "Community Notes" from "Birdwatch." He recently also had someone cover the "w" on Twitter's name at its San Fran- cisco headquarters. Among those who didn't seem bothered by the change was Jack Dorsey, a Twitter found- er and former CEO. He said in a tweet Monday that while a rebrand was not "essential" to achieving Musk's vision, there was an argument for it. "The Twitter brand carries a lot of baggage," Dorsey wrote. "But all that matters is the util- ity it provides, not the name." replaces Twitter icon with 'X'