Doge Meme Replaces Twitter Bird Logo. Why? Does It Even Matter?

pcmag.com:

Twitter web users on Monday were met with a new mascot of sorts: Kabosu, the Shiba Inu who inspired the Doge meme, appeared this week in place of the company's trademark blue bird icon.

There is currently no explanation for the change—which is almost certainly not a delayed April Fools' Day joke, but rather another way to amuse Doge superfan(Opens in a new window) CEO Elon Musk.

Musk this week shared a screenshot of a March 22 exchange in which a user who goes by @WSBChairman suggested Musk "just buy Twitter … and change the bird logo to a doge."

Many Twitter users were unimpressed by the stunt, calling it "embarassing(Opens in a new window)," "annoying," and the final straw(Opens in a new window) that may push them to quit the social network. Others wondered if it was a ploy to bury Friday's news that Musk's legal team filed a motion to toss out a 2022 lawsuit accusing him of running a pyramid scheme supporting Dogecoin.

The first cryptocurrency based on an internet meme, Dogecoin launched in December 2013 as a joke. By early May 2021, the altcoin reached a market capitalization of more than $85 billion(Opens in a new window). Musk's regular Dogecoin-related tweets, though not illegal themselves, have led some to claim his actions amount to market manipulation, as the digital currency's price often fluctuates shortly after Musk talks it up.

"There is nothing unlawful about tweeting words of support for, or funny pictures about, a legitimate cryptocurrency that continues to hold a market cap of nearly $10 billion," Musk's legal team wrote in a Friday filing, as reported by Reuters(Opens in a new window). "This court should put a stop to plaintiffs' fantasy and dismiss the complaint," which seeks $258 billion in damages.