Social media is all around us. It’s one of the driving forces behind this generation’s information sharing, discussion, even activism. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are arguably the world’s top social media platforms, and as we gear towards a more connected world, more and more people are joining in on the fun. Here are some Twitter tidbits you may not have heard of:
Twitter started as Twttr
Twitter started as Twttr. The first Tweet, which was of founder Jack Dorsey, informally stated that he set up his “Twttr”. The idea behind the social media platform is a “microblogging” site where people can record their consciousness stream. In the original idea, posts will be called “tweets,” and these would be short and concise, which is what it turned out to be.
One of the wildest Twitter facts is that the idea behind the entire process is sending a short SMS to a group of people who share their interests. Jack Dorsey was an undergraduate student at New York University when it all started. Twitter having its origins to text over an app is so kismet that anyone with a lick of sense should have thought of it before!
Since its inception, Twitter has 1.3billion accounts created
Suffice it to say; Twitter is popular. What started as a site that only was exclusive to Odeo employees – the company which was the original prototype was intended for – became a global phenomenon in a brief span of time. One of the most important tipping points in the site’s claim to fame was when the company set up two giant flat screens at the SXSWi conference where people can see a stream of tweets.
Today, Twitter has amassed more than a billion accounts created. While only 22% of Americans have Twitter, worldwide users make up for it in a sizeable chunk. Japan and India have a good chunk of their population having Twitter accounts, and countries in Europe are active. Brazil is the leading country in Latin countries in terms of Twitter users.
The origin of hashtags is through a tweet
Wouldn’t you know it, in unique Twitter fashion, the origin of hashtags, or keywords with the number sign in front of them is from a tweet? Chris Messina tweeted in August 2007 about using the pound key to use for groups. And the example he showed? #barcamps. Now, that’s history.
Vine was from Twitter
The short-lived app Vine was a product of Twitter, it was a successful side project by the company following design, but unfortunately, it had to close in October 2016. The idea was for people to upload video recordings of themselves through the platform. The platform has launched some of today’s biggest pop stars like Shawn Mendes and Youtubers like Lele Pons and Gabby Hanna.
It was only in 2017 that tweet characters were lengthened from 140 to 280
Hard to believe, but it was only three years ago that the character limit on Twitter was expanded from 140 to 280. Prior to this, threads were a thing (still are), where people share stories or numbered sequences. Increasing the character count was a welcome change for most of the users.
The move was in response to a growing clamor from people being fed up with their tweets’ limitations. Facebook and Instagram were ahead with thousands of limits on their character count per post. Becoming an influencer was an offshoot of social media and was becoming a career choice for many, and one thing that was a necessity for this group of people was to share their experiences in lengthy updates.
As of writing, Twitter has only less than 5,000 employees
For a successful social media platform with offices all over the world, Twitter has only less than 5,000 employees. Facebook, in comparison, has over 50,000. In further comparison with tech companies like Apple and Google, Twitter seems to be the most modest to hire employees.
Google has included tweets on search results starting in 2015
Google, the world’s premier search engine, made a move in 2015 to include tweets in search results for specific keywords. It came when Twitter was one of the leading sources of news. Google made a move to include relevant tweets to make its search engine results pages more relevant, timely, and approachable. Today, we usually see Tweets on the first page; Google results for any search.
Barack Obama has the most number of Twitter followers
Wondering who has the most followers on Twitter? Well, surprisingly, it’s not a celebrity. It’s a politician. Barack Obama has the most followers on the social media platform, with 118 million followers. He is trailed by Justin Bieber and Katy Perry, with 111 million and 108 million followers.
Takeaway
With these interesting facts, you can now talk your way to any social interaction that involves Twitter talk. As we become more invested in our social media profiles, don’t forget to take a break from all the scrolling and focus on what’s important to you!
