On Monday, netizens were baffled to find that the blue bird Twitter logo, which is located above the home button, has been replaced by the Dogecoin cryptocurrency icon.
This appears to have been done without warning or any prior notification from the platform's administrative staff and is only seen in the web version of the social network. On mobile devices, the app continues to have the blue bird logo. However, many feel that this might also change into the Doge icon very soon.
The Dogecoin blockchain icon of the Shiba Inu was created back in 2013 as a sort of joke to mock other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
The platform's decision to change the blue bird icon might have come as a bit of a shock to many. However, the possible reasons behind the change are not all that surprising.
This is because Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter last year for $44 billion has always been a big fan and promoter of the Doge meme as well as Dogecoin. He promoted the cryptocurrency quite a bit during his guest appearance on Saturday Night Live last year.
The icon change came after Musk posted a tweet that said, “As promised,” along with a screenshot of an exchange he had with a user on March 26, 2022.
Why Twitter might have replaced its blue bird logo with Doge dog
Many netizens believe that the reasons behind Twitter's logo change have to do with Elon Musk’s love for the Doge meme as well as the coin. Some have even pointed out that before taking over the social media platform, the billionaire had posted a tweet, stating:
“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?”
A user with the handle @WSBChairman responded by saying:
“Just buy Twitter… and change the bird logo to a doge.”
Musk then said:
“Haha that would sickkk.”
It was this very exchange that Musk highlighted in his tweet on Monday, right before the blue bird icon changed to Dogecoin. As mentioned earlier, he posted “As promised,” leaving little to the imagination when it comes to why Twitter opted to change its icon.
Additionally, Bloomberg has reported that the value of Dogecoin went up by almost 30% right after the social media platform changed its icon.
This is just the latest of the major changes that Musk has brought to the social media platform ever since he took over last October. The microblogging site has also announced that it will end its previous verified program on April 1, 2023, and will make users pay $8 every month if they wish to have blue checkmarks.