The ＂X＂ sign of Twitter building was removed. Why do science and technology enterprises have a soft spot for X？

　　According to a number of US media reports on July 31, the "X" sign on the roof of Twitter's San Francisco headquarters was removed on the same day because it was suspected of violating city regulations and was repeatedly complained by local residents. Earlier, elon musk, an American entrepreneur, announced that he would change the social media Twitter logo to "X", ending the "Little Bluebird" that the social software had been used for 17 years. This change has caused great controversy. The letter X is favored by many science and technology enterprises, and there are indeed cultural reasons behind it.

　　Compile Shen Lu

　　Comparison of Twitter icons before and after replacement.

　　Since Twitter, a social media platform, was launched in 2006, the classic "Blue Bird" logo has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. The founder of the platform once suggested that the frequency of birds' calls is short and fast, which is consistent with the connotation of the platform. According to Reuters and other media reports, on July 24th, local time, Elon Musk suddenly announced the rebranding of Twitter, replacing the original classic "Bluebird" logo with the black and white letter "X". This is a subversive change made by Musk after he bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022.

　　"X embodies the imperfections of all of us, and it is these imperfections that make us unique." Musk said in an interview with the media.

　　Musk's fascination with the letter "X" has a long history, which was first manifested in 1999, when he named his online banking service X.com, which later evolved into PayPal. He bought the domain name in 2017, claiming that it has "great emotional value". He named the early Tesla car Model X and named his space exploration program SpaceX. In 2020, Musk and musician Grimes gave birth to a son, and the couple named him XA-12 Musk.

　　Linda Yaccarino, the new CEO of Twitter, said: "Whether in life or in business, it is extremely rare that you get a second chance to impress people. Twitter has left a deep impression on people and changed the way we communicate. Now' X' will go further. "

　　In fact, not only Musk has a soft spot for "X", but also science and technology companies seem to have a preference for this letter. In addition to Musk's X, there are Microsoft's game console Xbox, Sony's Xperia smartphone, Apple's iPhone X and operating system OS X. In 2010, Google chose this letter as the name of its secret creative testing lab, which was originally called Google X. It is also reported that mark zuckerberg's parent company Meta, Facebook, Instagram and Threads, has registered trademarks for the X logo used by social media, which means that a trademark war may break out in the future.

　　Why is the letter "X" so popular? Tony Thorne, director of Slang and New Languages Archives at King's College London, believes that this is an attempt to appear mysterious by quoting various vague scientific terms, such as indexes, experiences and experiments. He told BBC Culture Channel: "X is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in many everyday expressions, but appears in many mathematical and technical backgrounds, which makes most of us technically illiterate feel confused and curious." It implies something important, unknowable and exciting-a symbol of possibility. However, for Thorne, its overuse has been counterproductive. "Now it's close to cliche."

　　With the widespread use of X, it is no longer limited to the field of science and technology. X-files, X-factor, X-men, X-generation, X-ray, X-class and X-planet are becoming more and more popular. Johanna Drucker, a professor of bibliographic research at UCLA and the author of Inventing The Alphabet, said: "This is a primitive designation. In the earliest sign system made by human beings, crosses and circles are very important because they are easy to make. We have stones from France 20,000 years ago with crosses and circles on them. " Since the middle ages, those who can't read have used X as their signatures.

　　The rich interpretation space of X itself also causes semantic ambiguity and confusion. This ambiguity is not always positive. Thinking articles about Generation X (people born between 1965 and 1980) often describe them as a lost and aimless generation. It also smacks of sexual danger. John Singer Sargent's provocative painting Lady X depicts an American woman famous for her extramarital affairs, which once shocked Paris at the end of 19th century.

　　Book cover of Inventing the Alphabet in English.

　　These connections related to extreme meanings also seem to cater to Musk's needs. When he acquired Twitter, he promoted an "extremely hard-core" work culture within the company. He once announced that he would change the company name to X Corp, which Reuters and other media think reflects his vision of creating a "super application" similar to China WeChat. This will be an application where users can socialize, read news, shop, pay bills and even call taxis, that is, "a platform that can deliver everything". For applications that provide so many different services, it may make sense to use the symbol "X" with multiple meanings.

　　But this move has also caused a lot of controversy. On July 31, local time, the "X" sign on the roof of Twitter's San Francisco headquarters was removed due to alleged violation of city regulations and complaints from local residents. In addition, the emergence of Twitter has expanded the English vocabulary. The word "Tweet" is included in the dictionary as a verb. As a result, many netizens questioned, if "Twitter" is called "X", what should be adjusted to "tweet"?

　　"Because the X symbol has many potential and sometimes contradictory meanings, seeing the X symbol at first sight will definitely make many people feel mysterious, puzzling and even interesting, but should a brand cause uncertainty or confusion?" Thorne asked. The future of Musk's X project remains to be seen, but even for such a giant, it may still be difficult to use the power of this most charming and deformed letter.

　　1. Elon Musk says Twitter's blue bird to be replaced by an X

　　www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musk-says-twitter-change-logo-adieu-all-birds-2023-07-23/

　　2. ‘X’ removed after being installed atop company headquarters following Twitter’s rebrand

　　https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/31/tech/x-sign-twitter-elon-musk/index.html

　　3. Twitter's rebrand: Why 'x' could be the most powerful letter in English

　　www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230728-twitters-rebrand-why-x-could-be-the-most-powerful-letter-in-english

　　This article is compiled. Author: Shen Lu; Editor: Lotus; Proofreading: Lin Zhao. Welcome to forward to the circle of friends.

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