Twitter, a social media platform launched in 2006, was co-created by Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Noah Glass, and Evan Williams. It allows users to post and interact with messages known as "tweets," which were originally restricted to 140 characters but expanded to 280 characters in 2017.
The name "Twitter" was chosen to invoke the idea of short, bursty communication similar to the chirping of birds. In its early development phase, the platform was called "Twttr," inspired by the five-character length of American SMS short codes.
One of the first major uses of Twitter was during the 2007 South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference. The platform's popularity soared during the event, and it won the festival's Web Award.
In 2008, Twitter raised $15 million in Series B funding from investors such as Union Square Ventures and Spark Capital. By 2012, the company had over 100 million active users posting 340 million tweets per day.
Twitter has been a powerful tool for social movements and political campaigns. The Arab Spring of 2010-2012 saw extensive use of the platform to organize protests and share real-time updates. Similarly, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter gained prominence on Twitter, amplifying the movement against racial injustice.
Twitter's "fail whale," an illustration of a whale being lifted by birds, became an iconic symbol of the platform's frequent downtime in its early years. The image was created by artist Yiying Lu.
The platform introduced "verified" badges in 2009 to authenticate the accounts of public figures, a feature later adopted by other social media networks. In 2015, Twitter launched Moments, a feature to curate notable events and trending stories.
In 2021, Twitter introduced Spaces, an audio chat feature similar to Clubhouse. It also acquired Revue, a newsletter platform, to integrate long-form content.
Twitter's influence extends into various domains. For instance, the platform is used for live updates during sports events, with the FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl generating millions of tweets.
The company went public in 2013, trading under the ticker symbol "TWTR." Despite facing challenges such as misinformation and harassment, Twitter remains a significant player in the social media landscape.
In 2022, billionaire Elon Musk announced plans to acquire Twitter, generating widespread discussion about the platform's future.
Twitter's bluebird logo, named "Larry the Bird," is a tribute to Larry Bird, the famous basketball player. The platform's design and features have evolved over the years, but it remains a hub for real-time information and social interaction.