Twitter has not changed the default profile photo for new users over the past seven years. Everybody started out with an egg as their default profile photo.
It was meant to reference how eggs hatch into birds that send all the tweets on the micro blogging network. Now, though, as it continues to take steps to curb the abuse problem on the platform, Twitter has now decided to introduce a new default profile photo that “encourages people to upload their own photos for more personal expression.”
Twitter says that one of the reasons it has decided to change the default profile photo after seven years is that it wants to promote more self-expression. It acknowledges that while some people kept the egg default profile photo because they thought it to be fun and cute but it wants them to use this space to express their own personality.
The new default profile photo serves as an empty space or placeholder and Twitter hopes that it encourages more people to upload images that express who they are. It also mentions that “patterns of behavior” have been noticed with accounts that are only created to harass others. This has led to an association between the egg default profile photo and negative behavior which is obviously not fair to people who are new to Twitter and haven’t uploaded their own photo yet.
