Twitter Allows NFTs To Be Used as Profile Pictures
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Twitter Allows NFTs To Be Used as Profile Pictures

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2 years ago

The social network's latest crypto-friendly tool is only accessible to those who have subscribed to its premium Twitter Blue service.

Twitter Allows NFTs To Be Used as Profile Pictures

Daftar Isi

Twitter has finally launched a new feature that allows non-fungible tokens to be used as profile pictures — but there's a catch.

The social network's latest crypto-friendly tool is only accessible to those who have subscribed to its premium Twitter Blue service.

Twitter Blue costs $3 a month — arguably a steal when compared with the price of many NFTs — and aims to offer exclusive perks in development.
Other examples include the ability to undo tweets for up to 30 seconds, and a reader mode that delivers a cleaner user experience.

Twitter executives have described cryptocurrencies as a "key pillar" for the social network's future, and hinted that more features are in the pipeline.

Looking ahead, the platform hopes to become a destination for discovering NFTs — and a hub for discussion and education on how crypto works.

But It's Just a JPEG…

The cynics among you will argue — when you think about it — NFT owners have been able to proudly display their digital art on Twitter for ages. They simply need to upload the JPEG version of their collectible, after all.

Twitter's feature differs in how users can directly connect crypto wallets to their accounts. Not only does this mean that the ownership of an NFT can be verified, but the tokens themselves are displayed differently too.

Official NFT avatars are displayed within hexagons instead of a conventional circle, setting them apart from the rest. Tapping on the profile picture also offers additional details about where the art is from.

Back in November, the social network unveiled a new division called Twitter Crypto which, as you might suspect, is going to be "focused on crypto, blockchains and other decentralized technologies."

The launch is the clearest sign yet that Twitter remains enthusiastic about the potential of digital assets — despite the departure of Jack Dorsey, a vocal Bitcoin enthusiast, as its CEO.

There will be some challenges along the way, especially considering that art theft has become a significant problem for the NFT industry.

It remains to be seen whether Twitter has safeguards in place to prevent someone from downloading the JPEG of an authentic NFT, minting their own identical copy, and uploading it as their own avatar.

And it's also bad news if you're an Android user, as this new feature is only available if you're on an iOS device at present.

Elon Musk wasted little time in expressing exasperation over the new feature — sharing a screenshot and describing it as "annoying." He wrote:

"Twitter is spending engineering resources on this bs while crypto scammers are throwing a spambot block party in every thread!?"

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