According to Statista, Twitter had 300 million active users in the year 2022[1]. This number is only expected to continually increase in the near future. Hence, it can be said that Twitter is currently one of the most powerful social networking platforms. It is a handy platform to connect with people across the world and exchange thoughts.
As Twitter is a microblogging platform, people use Twitter for sharing news and opinions in 140 characters or less. Now Twitter has evolved into a powerful tool that, if it is used effectively, can help in building a more significant and rememberable brand. Since its inception, Twitter has changed dramatically. Many new features have been adopted and a few have been dropped.
In this blog, we will walk you through how Twitter has changed so drastically over the years.
Let’s have a look at the Twitter’s journey and the key milestones that Twitter has achieved
Jack Dorsett, one of Twitter’s co-founders, had a concept for such service in 2006. Dorsey had viewed Twitter as an SMS-based communication platform. It allowed people to stay in touch and give updates on what they were up to.
Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, and a German contract developer launched Twitter as a microblogging platform for users to send brief text messages to friends and family with a restriction of 140 characters.
Former US President Donald Trump’s account was banned by Twitter and then permanently removed after two days. Also, they have also erased ten thousand accounts of politicians and journalists. The platform also added a new message that prompted users to consider whether to post a “potentially harmful” tweet before sending it.
On October 22, 2022, Elon Musk, Founder of Tesla, SpaceX, & PayPal became the new CEO of Twitter. By taking over as Twitter’s CEO, Mr. Musk has taken the following decisions for Twitter:
After purchasing Twitter, Musk revealed this month that he intends to launch a new “everything app” named “X.” This app, which is based on a Chinese app WeChat, might be an all-in-one mega app. ‘X’ might be described as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and PayPal bundled into one site.
Elon tweeted on Tuesday, October 29, 2022 that acquiring Twitter will accelerate the development of X by 3 to 5 years. It’s unclear what Musk has in mind, but he has frequently expressed the desire for Twitter to expand beyond tweets to give tough competition to its rival WeChat in terms of popularity.
The billionaire businessman said at a town hall with Twitter employees in June that WeChat is so practical and helpful for daily life that you practically live on it in China. If Twitter can reach that or even come close, Musk says, it will be a huge success. Because of Musk’s prior experience in building payment platforms, a powerful app may be easier to develop. He founded PayPal, then known as X.com, one of the first online payment systems that gained international fame.
The dynamics of Twitter have shifted over the years. As the platform has grown, people’s use of it has also changed. It is an excellent platform for businesses and individuals alike, but only if you use it in a way that best fits your needs. Twitter has changed substantially over the years, and with Musk taking over and acquiring Twitter, more dramatic changes are expected over the years.
