Twitter is continuing to drive wider NFT adoption with NFT profile pictures — bringing NFTs to the mainstream.
You might be one of the few people on Twitter who actually owns the handsome Bored Ape in your Twitter profile picture… but how would anybody know for sure? Could anyone really tell the difference if you were using a screenshot of somebody else’s Ape?
Well, thanks to Twitter’s new NFT verification tool, you can now effortlessly prove that whichever Crypto Punk, Bored Ape or Cool Cat acting as your profile picture truly belongs to you.
The new feature was first announced back in September, and now that it’s up and running, we’ve put together a guide for you explaining how it all works and how you can use your NFT as your new profile picture on Twitter.
In 2021, we saw NFTs regularly selling for millions of dollars and the global NFT space grow into a $40 billion dollar industry.
Now, everybody wants a slice of the action. It’s no surprise that companies and celebrities alike are all jumping on the NFT bandwagon for fear of missing out on the next big tech trend.
The NBA is regularly releasing Top Shot moments, Snoop Dogg just launched his Bacc On Death Row NFT project, and in January, Twitter became the first of the social media giants to officially integrate NFTs into its ecosystem.
*In case you missed the memo, NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are one of a kind digital items, like artwork, with proof of ownership stored on a blockchain like Ethereum or Flow.
We first heard about Twitter’s NFT profile pictures back in September 2021 during the launch of its crypto tipping — a tool allowing you to tip other Twitter users in Bitcoin via the Strike app.
And after months of speculation, Twitter announced and then finally rolled out the feature on Jan. 20 this year.
Maybe you’ve already seen some other Twitter users with hexagon-shaped profile pictures? If so, they’re using their NFTs as their Twitter profile picture!
Join us in showcasing the cryptocurrency revolution, one newsletter at a time. Subscribe now to get daily news and market updates right to your inbox, along with our millions of other subscribers (that’s right, millions love us!) — what are you waiting for?
How Does Twitter’s NFT Tool Work?
Simply put, Twitter authenticates whether you own an NFT and provides proof of ownership to other Twitter users. Provided you do own the NFT, you can use it as your profile picture, but it will appear in a hexagon shape rather than a boring-old circle.
To do this, Twitter fetches your NFTs from OpenSea — by far the largest NFT marketplace at this time — in order to validate your NFTs authenticity, rather than directly interacting with the Ethereum blockchain.
By relying on OpenSea to verify your NFT, Twitter technically never takes custody of it, and therefore avoids any and all responsibility for taking your NFT down if it’s plagiarized.
Using OpenSea also helps Twitter to avoid liability for identifying which NFTs come from genuine collections, and which are simply right-click and re-uploaded copies of popular NFTs. So, the onus is on the individual to figure out whether another user’s Punk, Ape or Cat comes from a genuine collection or is an unofficial (and plagiarized) duplicate.
This is relatively easy to do — if you click on a hexagonal, NFT-profile picture, it will take you to the NFT’s page on OpenSea where you can see the collection details and contract address.
Given that plagiarism and theft are perennial problems in the NFT space, Twitter has done well to pass on responsibility for solving them to OpenSea. However, relying on OpenSea isn’t without costs.
For instance, when OpenSea’s databases go down, Twitter users might not be able to see their profile photos; a fault which occurred in January when OpenSea suffered a database outage that rendered MetaMask wallets unable to auto-detect new NFTs for a while.
Can Just Anyone Use an NFT as Their Profile Picture?
Not yet, as of February 2022, there are a few eligibility requirements in place.
For now, you can only upload your NFT from an iOS device, but rest assured that everyone will see your profile picture as a hexagon regardless of which device they’re viewing your profile from.
You’ll also need a Twitter Blue subscription before you can use an NFT as your profile photo, costing $2.99 per month. If $2.99 seems like too steep a price for merely having an NFT profile picture, know your subscription also gives you access to ad-free articles, a bookmarks folder,and an undo Tweet button, among other features.
Twitter Blue is so far only available in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, so if you live elsewhere, you’re going to have to wait a while before Twitter will certify your handsome Ape as authentic.
Besides an iPhone and a Twitter Blue subscription, you’ll also need to store your NFT in a compatible wallet. Your options currently include: Argent, Coinbase Wallet, Ledger, MetaMask, Rainbow and Trust Wallet.
And for the time being, your NFT needs to be stored on the Ethereum blockchain, although a Twitter spokesperson has suggested that the site will support NFTs on other blockchains at some stage.
Now that we’re clear on who can and can’t use an NFT for their Twitter profile picture, let’s learn how to set one up.
How Can You Set Your NFT As Your Profile Picture?
[images might be useful here? Maybe not for every point – just the crypto bits]
- Open the Twitter app on an iOS device;
- Go to your Twitter profile;
- Click on “Edit profile;”
- Click on your profile photo icon;
- Select “Choose NFT;”
- Select the crypto wallet you use from the list;
- You’ll need to open up your crypto wallet to sign a transaction to verify that you hold the keys to the wallet storing the NFT;
- Once you’ve connected your wallet, select the NFT you want to use as your profile picture (it has to be on the Ethereum blockchain);
- Press “Done” and then “Save,” which will confirm your new NFT profile photo;
- Head back to Twitter, and you should see your new hexagonal NFT profile picture!
Why Is Twitter Only Now Getting Into NFTs?
The inclusion of NFTs into Twitter’s ecosystem follows the end of Jack Dorsey’s reign as Twitter’s CEO. Dorsey is widely credited with being the driving force behind Twitter’s recent moves into crypto, yet he famously holds a “Bitcoin only” philosophy.
Although NFT profile pictures were announced during Dorsey’s tenure, it’s possible that Dorsey’s Bitcoin puritan views have held the social media platform back from more ambitious and adventurous crypto-related projects.
Matt Navara, a social media consultant and commentator, explains that Parag Agrawal, Dorsey’s replacement, “looks set to build upon the path Jack has set the company up to travel which includes decentralisation and web3, crypto, NFTs.”
In other words, NFT profile pictures may be the opening chapter of Twitter’s crypto story…
Watch Out for NFT Scams!
With every big and exciting crypto or NFT-related announcement comes a plethora of scams, schemes and stolen cash.
Unfortunately, the launch of Twitter’s NFT profile pictures hasn’t bucked the trend, and more than a few people have been caught out and had their NFTs stolen.
Of those who have been caught out so far, most were duped into handing over their NFTs or crypto through phishing emails purporting to be from Twitter.
Keep in mind that Twitter won’t request any funds from your crypto wallet, nor will they ask for your private keys or your seed phrase. If you do get an email asking for any of that, delete it and move on with your day.
What Are Meta & TikTok Up To With NFTs?
No doubt inspired by Twitter’s recent crypto and NFT applications, Meta is also looking for ways to integrate NFTs into its social media platforms: Facebook and Instagram.
The Financial Times reports that Meta is planning a feature which would mimic Twitter’s by allowing its users to display NFTs as their profile pictures, alongside an NFT marketplace built into the Meta ecosystem.
Following the FT report, Adam Mosseri, who heads up Instagram, shared in an interview that Instagram is also “exploring” a marketplace for NFTs.
So as Twitter becomes more immersed in crypto and NFTs and Meta explores an NFT marketplace, you might be wondering, what is TikTok up to?
Unfortunately, TikTok’s first foray into crypto and NFTs turned out to be a spectacular flop. In fact, two thirds of the video sharing app’s debut NFT collection hasn’t turned up yet, and probably never will.
On Sept.30 last year, TikTok announced it was “exploring the world of NFTs” by launching its first creator led NFT collection. Naturally, there was quite a buzz about Twittersphere, especially as TikTok had recently passed the billion-user mark earlier in the month.
The collection, called TikTok Top Moments, was designed to memorialize popular and memorable moments on TikTok through a series of NFTs featuring popular musicians, including Lil Nas X, Bella Poarch and Grimes. TikTok users could then buy one of the NFTs in order to “own a culturally significant moment on TikTok.”
Unfortunately, the collection launch took forever getting out of the starting blocks, leading to much confusion and anger. Rolling Stone magazine touched base with three people with inside knowledge of the project, who described it as “a challenge,” “a mess” and “a complete joke.”
By the time the first TikTok NFTs started dropping, two thirds of the all-star line-up had already backed out, leaving TikTok with no choice but to shelve the project and look for another avenue into NFTs.
Where Do Twitter & NFTs Go From Here?
It’s early days, but Twitter’s new NFT profile pictures have given cause for much optimism and celebration within the wider NFT community.
As we see more and more Twitter users with hexagonal profile pictures, more people will be exposed to NFTs and could start creating or collecting NFTs themselves.
Perhaps most important of all, this tool’s release is another sign that Twitter is committed to continuing its work helping digital artists and creators who sell their art as NFTs to share their work with the world.
As for the competition, Meta is lagging far behind and TikTok is frankly nowhere, which leaves Twitter the platform of choice for NFT artists and collectors.
This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators.
This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.
CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the success or authenticity of any project, we aim to act as a neutral informational resource for end-users.