The social media giant Twitter has taken further tentative steps into the world of Ethereum (ETH) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – by moving to allow some users to use verified NFTs as their profile pictures. And the firm has also apparently created an account on the invite-only ethereum-based NFT marketplace Foundation.
Per an official tweet from the Twitter subscription arm Twitter Blue and a new page on its website, users of the service, which costs USD 2.99 per month, will be able to “set an NFT as their profile picture from the Twitter for iOS app” – which means they must be Apple iPhone users, although this will mean a special “verified” “hexagon-shaped profile picture” can be “seen across all platforms.”
But the move will be more than just aesthetic. Twitter explained:
“Setting up an NFT profile picture means people can associate your Twitter account with your connected wallet’s public crypto wallet address.”
The firm warned that this meant such Twitter accounts “will be associated with your current and historical crypto wallet transactions and holdings, including all other NFTs in that wallet, because this information is all available on the public blockchain.”
Under the leadership of Twitter’s founder Jack Dorsey, an arch and outspoken bitcoin (BTC) bull, the social media giant generally shied away from the ETH ecosystem. Dorsey has repeatedly insisted that he is “bitcoin-only,” and at times has appeared to bait the ETH community. Dorsey stepped down as the Twitter CEO in November last year.
But as NFT Twitter profile pics have taken off in the world of Twitter, the company stated that it had received “a lot” of requests to introduce a way to ensure profile images that make use of NFTs can be verified.
Meanwhile, the firm, which holds ETH tokens, seemingly wants to spend them on digital artwork. The platform seems to have set up an account on Foundation this month, where it has over 360 followers. It is yet to make a purchase on the platform, but made an ETH 0.4 bid on an animated digital art piece on January 20.
The associated ETH wallet address is the same that the company used to distribute and sell its “140 Collection” of NFTs released in the summer of last year.
Twitter stated in September 2021 that it was working on ways to let users authenticate and display their NFTs.
Bloomberg quoted the social media firm as stating that users have made “almost 256 million tweets about NFTs since January 1, 2021,” with “the vast majority sent by users in the past six months.”
Meanwhile, Twitter users, such as Ouriel Ohayon, co-founder and CEO of mobile-based crypto wallet ZenGo, have been sharing ways they find Twitter can use to improve their new NFT feature.
