The Evolution of Twitter

Twitter had drastically evolved since its start in 2006. Today, there are over 330 million active monthly users. Celebrities have millions of followers and over half a billion tweets are posted daily. The multibillion-dollar company employs over 4,800 workers, which considerably contrasts the starting 14 employees. Lastly, Twitter has impacted the world and the mode in which people communicate. 

The details of the origins differ from site to site, but according to Business Insider, the origin story of Twitter is much more complex. Noah Glass's involvement with the founding of Twitter has been underemphasized. Glass was the originator of Odeo, a podcast platform, and the company slowly built. Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone joined the team, unfortunately, Apple announced they were adding a podcast app to their next product, the iPod. Their project was a bust and they had to scramble to come up with a new concept. Dorsey was the creator of the idea, but Glass was the heart and soul of the development of the program. Glass came up with the name "Twttr" which would evolve to Twitter. He was inspired by Flickr, a photo-sharing service and agrees with the dictionary definition of Twitter: "a short burst of inconsequential information." On March 21, 2006, Jack Dorsey sent the first tweet: "just setting up my twttr." Consequently, a communication revolution was born and by August, Twitter had thousands of users. In September, Williams wrote a letter to Odeo's investors and wanted to buy back their shares so they wouldn't take a loss. Some report it the assets of the company were sold for approximately $5 million, which has increased to $5 billion worth now. 

The media has been substantially changed because as new stories arise, people can immediately share information on a massive scale. Plus, the topic of news is a broad spectrum and people can choose to focus on what they are interested in. Twitter has majorly benefited business because it increases networking for businesses to communicate with employees and customers. Twitter's social function allows one-way transmission of information to transform into a two-way interaction. Furthermore, businesses can instantly deliver messages to customers they desire to reach and on the contrary, customers can share their thoughts and opinions with the world. Twitter had influenced politics because similar to business, communication has become more expansive. In the past, sharing knowledge was limited; however, Twitter has helped with the shift and now information is more accessible and diverse. Everyone can participate by posting commentary on debates or candidates can campaign better.

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