Twitter just rolled out a new feature that lets users showcase their NFTs. Not everyone is so enthused by the feature–including Elon Musk.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is not a fan of the new feature which allows NFT owners to verify and display their NFTs.
NFT owners can connect their crypto wallets to their Twitter profile. Then, their NFT profile picture will take on a hexagonal shape, instead of the classic circular shape.
gm!
You asked (a lot), so we made it. Now rolling out in Labs: NFT Profile Pictures on iOS pic.twitter.com/HFyspS4cQW
— Twitter Blue (@TwitterBlue) January 20, 2022
The feature works for several wallets, including Coinbase Wallet, Ledger, Live, MetaMask, Rainbow, Trust Wallet and Argent.
However, users will have to buy Twitter Blue, a premium service that costs $2,99 per month to use the feature.
Twitter is spending engineering resources on this bs while crypto scammers are throwing a spambot block party in every thread!?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2022
However, it looks like Musk won’t be using the feature any time soon. He called the announcement “annoying” and added that Twitter should be focusing on fighting bots instead.
“Twitter is spending engineering resources on this bs while crypto scammers are throwing a spambot block party in every thread!?” says Musk.
Bots are a problem on Twitter for a long time. In particular, scammers use these bots to steal money from users. In fact, a lot of these bots impersonate Musk himself, supposedly offering gifts to Twitter users.
Musk Shades Crypto, Twitter Fights Over NFTs
Musk is a vocal critic of many crypto projects. Recently, he called Web3, a decentralized, blockchain version of the internet “BS.”
He is also critical of Bitcoin, saying that the meme coin Doge is a better crypto.
Moreover, he is not the only critic of the new NFT feature. Discussions over NFTs are a number one topic on Twitter today. NFT users and trolls are fighting it over at #NewNFTProfilePic.
Trolls are sharing memes making fun of NFT users. Others are urging users to block anyone with a hexagonal profile picture.
Comrades, your new weapons have arrived: #NewNFTProfilePic pic.twitter.com/1MH5nxlUWV
— Rhetoric🌟2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣🌟 (@Rh3t0ricTV) January 21, 2022
Yet, despite the trolling, it’s very unlikely that NFTs are going away any time soon. Celebrities, big tech and multinationals are all jumping on the bandwagon. Moreover, NFTs play into some key human desires – that for ownership and recognition.
Meta (formerly Facebook) said that they are working on something similar. It could soon allow users to “make, showcase, and sell NFTs” and to display them on Facebook and Instagram. More companies could soon follow.
Twitter is just the first company to introduce the feature. Since Jack Dorsey’s departure as CEO, the company has stepped up its crypto project. Meanwhile, Dorsey’s Block (formerly Square) is also working on crypto initiatives of its own.
Meanwhile, NFTs are surging. Leading NFT marketplace Opensea just surpassed 3.5 billion in monthly transaction volume. That’s $169 million in trades on a daily basis. Moreover, NFTs on all platforms hit $25 in all-time sales.
