Ten years ago on 21st March 2016, Jack Dorsey published the very first Tweet, and this was way before Twitter even became a thing! The micrologging site was launched for the public on July 15, 2006. Although it’s not the official birthday of Twitter as incorrectly celebrated by many, It is a milestone worth celebrating! The website has re-defined the way people can stay connected with what’s going on around the world on a real time basis and engage in two-way communication with many others who are following it. What began as a platform to broadcast status updates has evolved into a real-time network of information. It enjoys the patronage of 320 million active users every month. But the reach is much more than what has been recorded as there are another 500 million visitors to the website who are yet to become registered users.
It is unique
Twitter is unique in providing complete control to users to derive the maximum mileage in the way they want. The company only manages your feed but never compels what they feel best for you to see, unlike many other microblogging sites. And this sets Twitter part from the rest, which is the reason why a sizeable number of politicians, celebrities, scientists and journalists use this broadcast medium to raise issues of debate and discussions with crafty use of 140 characters.
Closely linked to lives
Twitter earned the rare distinction of becoming the primary source of latest news just within three years of its launch, and since then it has been linked to cultural movements and special events across the world. The Presidential Election of the USA in 2008 and 2012, the Arab Spring in 2011, the London riots in 2011 and the Black Lives matter movement have all been subjects of the Twitter brigade that never cease interacting on issues that they are concerned about. The medium has been used by all who matter and for purposes that matter to them, and that has made this microblogging site an unavoidable feature for millions of people.
Major milestones
- For the first time Twitter was used to break the news first about the successful rescue of all passengers and crew aboard an aircraft that made an emergency landing on Hudson Bay in 2009.
- In 2011, Twitter announces 100 million monthly users and a billion Tweets sent every week.
- Tweets sent every 2 days goes up to 1 billion in 2013. The same year a mobile service for video sharing named Vine was introduced.
- In March 2015, Periscope, an app for video sharing from mobile devices was introduced.
The way forward
Sluggish user growth and sliding share prices have raised questions about the company’s future. But Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and CEO of the company, is confident of bringing about changes that will make a huge impact on the future growth of Twitter. He has even stated the ways he wants to get it done.
He vows to pay more attention to existing users over multiplying their numbers rapidly. Providing more effective tools to users is the way Jack Dorsey envisages growth for this global platform where news making events would still be discussed and debated more effectively by using technological tools like Periscope, which points towards the company’s willingness to diversify that promises a long life.
source: Twitter
