March 21 marked the 10-year anniversary of the widely popular social media website known as Twitter. According to an article from the New York Times, co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, sent out the very first tweet 10 years ago marking its birth. Who knew Dorsey’s first tweet, “just setting up my twttr” would start a thriving social media trend? A social media trend that I believe gives us all access to an abundance of information.
Personally, I find out about a lot of current events through Twitter like the attack in Brussels. I think Twitter does a great job of summarizing exactly what happens and makes information easily accessible to the rest of the world. Our society today seems to be constantly in motion. Therefore, Twitter is a great way to find out information on your phone while on the go and it also makes it easy to share information. I do not always have access to a television that is broadcasting the latest news. By having the Twitter app on my phone, information is only a touch away, which allows me to find out news wherever I am.
It is hard to believe that 10 years have already passed since the start of Twitter. The word ‘tweet’ used to stand alone as the definition of “the chirp of a small bird.” Today, it is a popular way to communicate. Twitter is used not only for personal use, but companies utilize it to market their businesses as well. It is also a quick way to find out the latest news on celebrities. I think it is an excellent, easy way to communicate and find out information. Specifically, I have used Twitter to gather information about current events such as breaking news about tragedies, weather alerts and the presidential elections. It has also helped me share this kind of information with the people that I follow.
We have evolved into a world of the infamous hashtag. If you told someone to “hashtag that” 11 years ago, they would have looked at you like you were crazy. The use of the hashtag is now a trend. It can be found on many company commercials such as Budweiser’s #BestBuds, which was used in their popular 2014 Super Bowl commercial. It can be utilized by anyone to see what is trending at the time.
Currently, #PrayForTheWorld is trending due to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attack in Belgium, as well as the more recent bombing by the Taliban in Pakistan. When the hashtag is clicked on, you can see the trending concern for the people impacted by the tragedies and opinions on the incidents. I think this quick use of a hashtag is a straightforward way to spread awareness so that people can see what is happening from a global perspective.
For me, Twitter used to be a way for my middle school self to tweet things that (let’s be honest) no one cared about. As a college student, I now utilize Twitter more to stay updated on current events whether they are news stories or information on celebrities, and less for personal tweets. Twitter is a valuable tool to stay updated with current events. It is constantly working to improve its site in order to continue its growth and popularity. I feel that it is necessary for Twitter to constantly improve because you never know what the next big social media site could be.
Leave a Reply