Introduction
Most people in the crypto community recently woke to another surprising act from X micro-blogging platform. The orange Bitcoin emoji which usually appears when you tag Bitcoin on the platform has been removed. The removal of this emoji along with a few others could not have come at a worse time than now when the largest Bitcoin conference is going on in Nashville.
There is confusion as well as speculation in the crypto community as to why the emoji of Bitcoin and a few popular cryptos have been removed from X. Some crypto users are outright bitter about this act from Elon Musk and team. One X account that goes by the name
Coin Bureau did not find the move funny at all. Check out this Tweet:
Sad to see that X has removed the #Bitcoin hashtag emoji source
While a few might believe that Musk has a personal reason from kicking the Bitcoin emoji out of the platform, others are quick to note that not just Bitcoin, but a few other emojis of popular cryptos have been removed too. This account below makes that admission obvious to all in the crypto community.
FYI -- it wasn't just the Bitcoin hashtag emoji that was removed. Elon mentioned a while back X is getting rid of all the hashtag emojis. It's not a conspiracy or a knock on Bitcoin. You can sleep easy. source
Whether this removal of crypto emojis is a general thing or just specific for Bitcoin, it would be of real significance at a time when the crypto industry is receiving more attention from the external community.
From his Tweets of most recent times, Elon Musk seem to be a vocal and active supporter of Donald Trump for presidency. Trump on his own has changed his stance on crypto ever since he started the presidential campaign. He has paraded himself as a pro-crypto president to the admiration of the crypto community. Trying to connect supporting a pro-crypto presidential candidate and removing crypto emojis from his platform would leave crypto enthusiasts confused as to what Musk wants. The speculations would thus continue like the ones below.
Another attempt to alter the market?
The crypto community is no stranger to efforts made by influential figures in the past to manipulate the market. Elon Musk is a prominent figure in this type of discussion. His support for crypto has always moved the market in different directions depending on how he Tweets. His famous Tweet of the Doge coin logo some time ago made that crypto to skyrocket in price due to speculations that he may be stacking up his portfolio.
True, acts like removing crypto emojis could trigger different reactions from the market. Already, some crypto enthusiasts on X are thinking that this BTC logo removal would trigger a sudden drop of Bitcoin price in the market. At least, one user mentioned that the crypto traders should expect a red candle as a result of this move. It remains a speculation how the market finally reacts. We can only wait, watch and see what happens.
Just being a normal web2 platform?
Most people on Hive and other Web3 platforms understand what being censorship resistant means. Everyone owns their keys and identity. Web2 social media platforms like X are known for censorship. Accounts could be banned without warning, thoughts and posts could be muted if they are seen as opposition. These things are all too common in Web2 social media of which X is a prime example.
The move to remove Bitcoin emoji and that of many other cryptos could be another ugly move to show that X and Musk could do anything they wish to censor users. Whether it is business or ideological move, the crypto community are seeing it as what it truly is - a stamp on freedom expression.
Ever since the emojis were created and allowed to be used, it gives crypto enthusiast the freedom to share what they believe in. Some of the businesses using X as their main social media handle have included the emojis in their identities. Now those emojis have been forcibly removed, taking away the very elements that make their profiles unique. These things happen on web2 social media. Sadly, it has happened now.
Crypto is here to stay
While speculations could go on as to why Musk decided to pull down the crypto emojis, one thing that is sure is that crypto is here to stay. Censorship can exist on web2 social media and not on decentralized blockchain platforms. The crypto community has grown so big over the years that it is nearly impossible to be silenced. Markets could be manipulated and emojis could be removed, but Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have stood the test of time - they have survived the fiercest attacks and threats to its existence.
So the crypto community remains strong and steadfast. Whether Musk removes or adds emojis, Bitcoin will continue to be a force that empowers the community.
What do you think about this move to remove Bitcoin emoji from X posts and pages? Share your views in the comment section of this post lets discuss.
Note: Thumbnail is mine