Why the Twitter rebrand gives me the ick

When I got into my phone that morning I had to double-take. What the hell was on the screen next to the social media apps? Had I accidentally downloaded a kinky dating app? Was Threads malfunctioning and replaced the @ with an X?

No. It was the new Twitter logo, which really epitomises the reasons why I left Twitter after it became another one of Elon Musks' toys.

In a world where we rip into the patriarchy successfully with the Barbie movie, we also have Twitter rebranding with a hyper masculine, borderline aggressive image, showcasing what it really is now – a space where this type of rhetoric is welcome and thriving.

There are a couple of funny and ironic aspects to this rebrand, one of them being the fact that despite the efforts to look like a teenage boy deodorant, the 'X' also represents the female chromosome. Furthermore, would anyone explain to me why someone would spend $44 billion on something, only to rebrand it to the point it is unrecognisable?

As a brand expert, I understand that rebranding a well established business is a tricky affair. Folks don't appreciate change and the familiarity bias kicks in. However, this rebrand is such an intentional cut with the old brand that it makes us question what are the intentions? Has this been done for the audience or tailored to the personal taste of Mr Musk?

Judging by the reactions I'm seeing online, and the fact that Twitter removed the X from its headquarters in San Francisco a few days after putting it up, I'm not sure if this X will stick.

What do you think of the rebrand? I'd love to know.