Some longtime Twitter users are resisting Elon Musk‘s attempt to make X happen. According to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll and AdAge‘s research division, 69% of U.S. X users are still calling the platform by its old name and are still referring to its posts as “tweets.”
The Harris Poll and AdAge found that X users are mostly aware of the platform’s rebrand, even if they’re not on board with the change just yet. Of the 1,047 adults surveyed for the report, 79% were aware of the Twitter-to-X shake-up, but only 31% are committing to the new name themselves.
Several factors are making it difficult for X users to accept Musk’s rebrand. AdAge notes that the letter X, which represents closed applications, drug use, and unknown math variables, carries negative connotations.
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Another issue is that X users aren’t sure what to call tweets anymore. Musk wants them to be renamed Xs, but that hasn’t caught on. Perhaps some other users want to keep using the “Chief Twit” title Musk adopted after his Twitter acquisition. It’s certainly a fitting handle, given the chaos his ownership has brought to the-platform-formerly-known-as-Twitter.
Even if the rebrand is off to a sluggish start, Musk will likely stick with the name that — according to him — identifies his platform as an “everything” app. “If you stay Twitter, or you stay whatever your previous brand is, change tends to be only incremental, and you get graded by a legacy report card,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino told CNBC in an interview last month.
Yaccarino’s rationale is sensible, but X’s popularity is nevertheless taking a hit in the wake of its name change. A ranking published by Brand Keys revealed that X’s consumer loyalty fell from 47th place among the surveyed brands down to 92nd. That dip was attributed to the recent rebranding effort.
X’s rivals are looking to capitalize on the platform’s fracturing user base. Bluesky, a decentralized platform backed by former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey, has seen its signups surge as Musk’s erratic leadership continues. It recently hit a big milestone by surpassing one million total users.
