Why “X” Isn’t a Good Brand Name for Twitter
Ever since I read that Elon Musk changed the name of Twitter to “X”, I’ve been thinking that “X” is not a very good choice of a brand, since it seems like a negative symbol, because it is used in so many words with negative connotations and meanings. For example, “X” is used to cross things out or mark them as wrong. It is also used to suggest someone is an “eX” so they are no longer part of something, like an e-spouse, an ex-teacher, someone involved in an extra-marital affair. So I have written this article about it, though perhaps I might end up being an ex-Twitter, ummm ex-X user, since I might get kicked off the platform and become a X-eX!!!
For example, when I asked ChatGPT to send me a list of words with “X” in them or beginning with “X” that are about negative things — such as a word beginning with “ex” or a word like “excretion” or “exasperating” — I ended up getting lists of over 50 negative words with “X”. Here they are, along with their definitions:
· Xenophobia: Intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries; an irrational fear or hatred of foreigners or anything foreign or outside one’s own culture or group.
· X-rated: Used to describe movies, books, or magazines that are officially considered to contain a lot of sexual or violent material.
· Exaggerate: Represent (something) as being larger, greater, better, or worse than it really is.
· Exasperate: Irritate intensely; infuriate.
· Exasperating: Intensely irritating or frustrating.
· Excommunicate: Officially exclude (someone) from participation in the sacraments and services of the Christian Church.
· Exile: The state of being barred from one’s native country, typically for political or punitive reasons.
· Exploit: Use or manipulate to one’s advantage, often in a selfish or unethical way; make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource).
· Extort: Obtain (something) by force, threats, or other unfair means.
· Exterminate: Destroy completely, often in reference to a group of organisms.
· Exclude: Deny (someone) access to or bar (someone) from a place, group, or privilege.
· Exclusion: The act or an instance of excluding or being excluded, often regarded negatively as it may denote discrimination.
· Excuse: Attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.
· Exhaust: Drain (someone) of their physical or mental resources; tire out.
· Excruciating: Intensely painful.
· Expendable: Able to be used once and then discarded or replaced.
· Expel: Force (someone) to leave a place, especially a country.
· Exacerbate: Make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse.
· Extinct: Having no living members; no longer in existence.
· Expletive: An oath or swear word.
· Expose: Make (something) visible by uncovering it.
· Excoriate: Criticize (someone) severely.
· Expensive: Costing a lot of money.
· Exorbitant: (of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high.
· Expatriate: A person who lives outside their native country, often can be negative for those who didn’t want to leave.
· Expire: (Of a document, authorization, or agreement) cease to be valid, typically after a fixed period of time.
· Expunge: Erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant).
· Exude: Discharge (moisture or a smell) slowly and steadily. Alternatively, it can refer to display (an emotion or quality) strongly and openly.
· Extradite: Hand over (a person accused or convicted of a crime) to the jurisdiction of the foreign state in which the crime was committed.
· Expostulate: Express strong disapproval or disagreement.
· Extirpate: Root out and destroy completely.
· Exile: The state of being barred from one’s native country, typically for political or punitive reasons.
· Extinguish: Besides putting a light or fire, it also means to destroy or bring about the end of something.
· Excretion: The process of eliminating waste products of metabolism and other non-useful materials.
· Excrete: (of a living organism or cell) separate and expel as waste (a substance, especially a product of metabolism).
· Expendable: Considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining; able to be used up and then discarded or replaced.
· Exorcism: The expulsion or attempted expulsion of a supposed evil spirit from a person or place, usually seen as a distressing and negative event.
· Expulsion: The action of depriving someone of membership in an organization or the action of forcing someone to leave a place.
· Execrate: Feel or express great loathing for.
· Extraneous: Irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with.
· Exaggerate: Represent (something) as being larger, better, or worse than it really is.
· Exaggeration: A statement that represents something as better or worse than it really is.
· Excavate: Make (a hole or channel) by digging.
· Exasperate: Irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely.
· Exclude: Deny (someone) access to a place, group, or privilege.
· Exodus: A mass departure of people.
· Expel: Deprive (someone) of membership of or involvement in a school or other organization.
· Expend: Spend or use up (a resource such as money, time, or energy)
· Expire: (of a document, authorization, or agreement) cease to be valid, typically after a fixed period of time.
· Explode: Burst or shatter violently and noisily as a result of rapid combustion, decomposition, excessive internal pressure, or other process.
· Expose: Make (something) visible, typically by uncovering it.
· Extradite: Hand over (a person accused or convicted of a crime) to the jurisdiction of the foreign state in which the crime was committed.
· Ex-husband: A man to whom a person was once married to but is no longer.
· Ex-wife: a woman to whom a person was once married to but is no longer
· Ex-student: A person who was a student at a particular school, college, or university, but has since left or graduated.
· Ex-president: A person who once held the office of president but no longer does.
· Ex-girlfriend: A woman with whom a person was once romantically or sexually involved with but is no longer.
· Ex-boyfriend: A man with whom a person was once romantically or sexually involved with but is no longer.
While you might think of some positive words with an “X” or “eX” in it that are positive, such as exonerate, expect, expand, expert, explain, and experiment, or the phrase “X marks the spot,” the vast majority of words with “X” do refer to negative acts or have negative connotations. So this is why I don’t think this is a good choice of a new brand name for Twitter.
Now hopefully, this won’t exacerbate or extinguish my relationship with X leading to my exclusion or excommunication so that I become an ex-X or an X-er, whose relationship with the group has become extinct, since they don’t like me exposing any flaws. After all, my doing so could lead them to excoriate me and consider my membership in the group expendable leading them to exclude or expel me. Then, again, maybe they might have extreme pleasure and experience ecstasy that I’ve contributed this extremely helpful commentary that gains them extra attention and exposes them to even more media exposure and excitement, resulting in more members joining to be part of the growing excitement about X. And maybe then, I might become one of the X-community of X-men and X-women, after all.
Anyway, I write this with love and XXXs to the ex-Twitter and now X-world!!!
*********
Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. is the author of over 50 books with major publishers and has published 200 books through her company Changemakers Publishing and Writing (http://www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com). She writes books, proposals, and film scripts for clients, and has written and produced 18 feature films and documentaries, including Conned: The True Story and Con Artists Unveiled¸ distributed by Gravitas Ventures. (http://www.changemakersproductionsfilms.com). Her latest books include Ghost Story and How to Find and Work with a Good Ghostwriter published by Waterside Productions; The Big Con, I Was Scammed, and Love and Sex in Prison, published by American Leadership Press; and Ask AI and Ask AI: The Game, published by J. Michael Publishing. She has published about two dozen books featuring AI illustrations and was a speaker on using AI as a writer and artist at the TechBeat Conference in Danville in June, featuring the latest in AI technology.