#23: Say Hello to 'X' - Twitter’s New Identity

Today's news in English will look at Twitter’s new name, “X.” Please find the full transcript here.  

Transcript

Say goodbye to the Bird! Twitter's transformation to X.com marks a new era. Led by Elon Musk, this radical rebranding aims to evolve Twitter into an 'everything app'. But as we embrace the 'X', concerns over security and the platform's future are emerging. Let's explore this dramatic shift. 

Hello my beautiful students and welcome back to English News Pod, the best way for you to learn practical English through the news. I’m your host and teacher, Caroline. 

Today, we’ll be talking about something interesting that happened to one of the biggest social media platforms. Twitter has changed its name to X! We'll talk about why this change happened, what people think about it, and what it means for the future of Twitter. We'll also discuss some worries people have about this change, including the idea of changing Twitter's famous blue bird logo. Remember, you can find a full transcript of this podcast episode in the description.

Over the weekend, Twitter made a big announcement - it's name is now “X”. Even though the name has changed, people can still "tweet" or post messages. This name change is part of Twitter's plan to become more than just a social media platform, as explained by CEO Linda Yaccarino.

Twitter was bought by X Corp for $44 billion, a company owned by the billionaire Elon Musk. Elon wants to turn Twitter into an "everything app." He said, "Twitter was a good name when it was just a place for short messages, like birds tweeting. But now, you can share almost anything, including long videos. In the coming months, we plan to add more features and make it possible for you to manage all your financial activities."

However, this sudden change has made some security experts worried. The quick switch to X could potentially expose Twitter's users to some security problems. In addition to these security concerns, there's also a discussion happening about the potential change of Twitter's famous bird logo. Musk has replaced the blue bird picture with an "X" logo. This idea has received mixed reactions, with some users missing the bird logo and others excited about the new direction. Musk's reason for changing the symbol is to represent the uniqueness in all of us.

A flashing ‘X’ was recently installed atop the San Francisco headquarters following Twitter’s rebrand. However, its removal came just three days after workers installed the sign without receiving permission from the city, in violation of San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection codes.

Right now, the change is mostly in the name — no new features have been added yet. However, this name change suggests that Elon is likely to stay in control of the company for the foreseeable future. There are many ways an "everything app" could fail, from confusing its users to not attracting enough advertisers. But, expanding the platform's features to include things like shopping and paid content could potentially help its long-term growth by creating multiple ways to make money and reducing its reliance on big companies' advertising spend. Which name do you prefer - Twitter or X?

Let’s take a look at some grammar:

1. 'Announcement' - 'Announcement' is a noun referring to a formal public statement about a fact, occurrence, or intention. In the podcast, it is used to describe the news released by Twitter about its name change to "X".
2. 'Platform' - 'Platform' is a noun that refers to a service or piece of software that provides a base upon which other processes, technologies, or applications are developed or run. Twitter is described as intending to be more than just a 'platform' for social media.
3. 'Logo' - 'Logo' is a noun referring to a symbol or design that serves as a recognizable representation of a company or product. The news segment mentions discussions about the change of Twitter's famous bird logo.
4. 'Violation' - 'Violation' is a noun that refers to the act of doing something that is not allowed by a law or rule. We mentioned that there was a 'violation' of the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection codes, referring to the installation of the ‘X’ atop Twitter’s headquarters without the city's permission.
5. 'Features' - 'Features' is a noun referring to a distinctive attribute or aspect of something. In this case, we mentioned the plan to add more 'features' to the newly named X, expanding beyond just being a platform for short messages.
6. 'Foreseeable' - 'Foreseeable' is an adjective that describes something likely to happen or be done in the future. In the news story, it is used to describe the expected duration of Elon Musk's control over the company.
7. 'Reliance' - 'Reliance' is a noun referring to dependence on or trust in someone or something. In this case, the term is used to talk about Twitter's current dependence on big companies' advertising spend, which they hope to reduce by expanding their features.

Bonus:

Do you know what a compound noun is? A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. Each word adds to the meaning of the noun. In the podcast, "name change" is an example of a compound noun. Here, "name" and "change" are two separate words, but when they are used together, they have a different meaning - the act of changing to a new name.

That wraps us up for today. If you liked this podcast, please subscribe and follow.

Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon for more news in English!