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Twitter Now Allows NFT Profile Images

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Twitter announced that iOS users can now set their profile images with NFT art that they own. All that’s needed is a subscription to Twitter Blue and a connection to a supported crypto wallet. Once the NFT profile image is set, the art is visible from across all platforms.

To start, Twitter supports only static images including JPEG and PNG files, and they must be minted on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain. It appears that Twitter is leveraging OpenSea’s API to pull information about the NFT, as we saw both platforms simultaneously go down yesterday.

The NFT community quickly pointed out that leveraging OpenSea (or any approved sources) could undermine the essence of decentralization. It also brings up the concern that Twitter is unable to authenticate whether the displayed NFT belongs to a verified collection. 

The game of avatar

A few controversies aside, why did Twitter choose to support NFT as an avatar type? While organizations like ReadyPlayerMe are putting effort into creating cross-game avatars for the Metaverse, they are primarily targeting the 3D virtual worlds.

As a Web 2.0, non-3D product, Twitter has to start closing its gap towards the Web3 if it wants to be relevant in the future. Just as Twitter launched Twitter Spaces following the success of the Clubhouse, we expect to see more updates from Twitter incorporating where the hype is headed.

Elisha Terada

Elisha Terada

Technical Innovation Director

Over the last ten years, Elisha has worked closely with clients to pinpoint business growth opportunities using the latest tech innovations. He’s managed and engineered as a core contributor on more than ten SaaS products leveraging web, mobile, and machine learning technologies.

Elisha holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from the University of Washington, is a Certified ScrumMaster, and has spoken at industry events including AIGA HIVE Seattle.

An innovator at heart, he is constantly exploring emerging technology.