Annnnnnnd this is why your Twitter profile background is white
No, it’s not your imagination. Twitter really did just delete your cute, customized background and replace it with a boring all white one. And we’re super sorry but no, you won’t be able to change it back.
Quietly, and without much press coverage, Twitter has removed all wallpapers and customized wallpapers from profiles and timelines and replaced them with white space. They aren’t giving us much in the way of explanation, but it doesn’t look like we’ll be going back to the old way anytime soon.
In a statement to The Telegraph, a Twitter spokesperson had this to say about the unannounced changes: “We’re removing background images from the home and notifications timelines on web for all users. Now, background images are only available where logged-in users will see them publicly (Tweet pages, list pages and collections pages). You can find help centre content about customizing your design and where it’s visible on Twitter here.”
The ‘what’ is pretty straightforward, but the ‘why’ is way less so. Why would Twitter would put such a damper on your creativity, and stymie your visual Twitter expression? Well, there’s no official answer, but the tech world has some suspicions.
Most theories have to do with the recently unveiled, Project Lightning. This initiative, announced in June, will move Twitter away from it’s purpose as social media outlet, and further into a curated news site. This means that Twitter would be more a place to read about current trending topics, and less a place to interact with other users.
The new white background COULD, according to TechCrunch, be a way for Twitter to make room for ads for the new platform, or at least keep your cool and cleverly designed backgrounds from interfering with sponsored sites. The plain white background makes a more hospitable environment for content, and won’t cause visibility problems like your cute cat wallpaper.
This thing has happened before to our favorite social media platform. Anybody remember the end of MySpace? They eliminated user control right before the bottom fell out, and we haven’t heard much from them since.
Nobody is saying that Twitter is on the way out, but this is a reminder that social media changes and platforms aren’t forever. Funny how a little blank space can remind you of that.
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[Image via Shutterstock]
