To say that NFTs are now pouring into the mainstream media won’t be a lie. NFTs have seen exponential growth in popularity. They have gone from something only the crypto geeks knew of to becoming a part of conventional conversations.

And now, their popularity is reaching apps like Twitter as well. First, let me bask in the irony – The world of centralized apps bringing features to incorporate the trendiest items from the decentralized blockchain world. The very same decentralized world that believes they’re the future that’ll replace the centralized apps. Maybe we’ll see a future where Twitter becomes a part of the decentralized landscape, only time will tell. Will it be ironic then? I’m done with my ramblings. Now, let’s answer the question that’s burning in everyone’s mind.

Is Twitter going the way of TikTok and launching its own NFT collection? No, it’s not. Twitter’s foray into selling its own NFT is still limited to when Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, sold his first tweet as an NFT.

Instead, Twitter has announced that it will be launching a way so users can authenticate the NFTs they own on the platform. Although they did not announce the date for the rollout, users did get an insight into what the feature might look like.

A senior software engineer for Twitter previewed the feature on the platform itself. The feature is still in the early phases of development and there is a lot that could change upon final delivery. But here’s a rundown of what you can expect from it.

What NFT Incorporation on Twitter will Look Like

The preview only included a way to download your NFTs from the marketplace OpenSea. The early preview showed that users could flaunt their NFTs as their profile icons or on their profile as Collectibles.

The option will be available from the ‘Edit Profile’ option on your profile page.

Then, when you tap your ‘Profile icon’ to edit it, instead of the traditional option that appears now to select a photo from your gallery, an additional option to select an NFT will appear.

When you tap ‘Select NFT’ from this option, you can connect your Ethereum wallet to the social media platform.

The process to connect your wallet would be a simple one. A ‘Connect Wallet’ option will appear.

It seems that the platform will support most wallets as a list showed most popular wallets like Coinbase, MetaMask, Argent, Trust, among others.

Once you connect your wallet, all your NFTs from OpenSea will appear.

You can then choose one as your Twitter profile picture. And to authenticate that the photo is, in fact, an NFT you own, the symbol for Ethereum will appear right next to your profile icon. The symbol wasn’t unlike the ‘Blue Tick’ that’s currently used to authenticate verified profiles.

According to the preview, you won’t have to settle on flaunting just a single NFT. The ones you don’t choose as your avatar will reside snugly on your profile under the ‘Collectibles’ banner.

Anyone who visits your profile will be able to navigate there and view your collection.

A Long Road Ahead

Even though the preview made it look like the feature is just around the corner, there’s no knowing when will it actually make it to the app. There are a lot of variables to consider. The foremost of them is wallet security. Before users connect their wallets to the social media platform, tight security measures need to be in place to ensure there is no compromise on the security of the wallet. Otherwise, the connected wallets might become more susceptible to hacking and users could lose their NFTs.

There are also factors to take into account, like which marketplaces and blockchains would the platform support. The preview only mentions the Ethereum blockchain and the OpenSea marketplace but the choices are practically endless.

In addition to the NFT authentication feature, the social media platform will also be incorporating other aspects of cryptocurrency. Twitter also plans to roll out a feature that’ll enable users to accept Bitcoin from their followers. This will further expand the current payment options of the Tip Jar feature that currently includes services like PayPal and Patreon.

Although there is no rollout date yet, we can be almost certain that the feature will become a part of the app. When it does, you won’t have to brood in a corner when someone shares the artwork or photo that’s the subject of the NFT you own. They’ll know who owns it!