Teachify Case Studies - Twitter
Hi Guys!
In today’s Teachify case study we are going to be having a look at Twitter. At the time of writing Twitter is the 4th most valuable social media website in the world, valued at an estimated $13 billion!
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey first had the idea of Twitter whilst he was working at Odeo, a podcasting company. Unfortunately the domain name Twitter.com was already taken, so the project began life as twttr, however the domain name Twitter.com was eventually bought after 6 months. Jack Dorsey posted the first ever tweet on March 21st 2006.
The prototype of Twitter remained an exclusive internal service for Odeo employees until July 15th when the full version was released. Later in the year Dorsey acquired Odeo along with Twitter.com, though Twitter would become its own company in 2007.
After the South by Southwest conference Twitter saw a huge increase in popularity, going from 20,000 tweets per day to 60,000 tweets per day. Between 2007 and 2010 Twitter would continue to grow rapidly. By June 2010 there were around 750 tweets being sent per second!
At the beginning of the new decade Twitter revamped it’s homepage, introducing ‘New Twitter.’ This revamp allowed users to view images and videos without the need to navigate away from Twitter. By late 2012 Twitter had 200 million active monthly users.
Initially Twitter had primarily attracted older professional users, however the app became more mainstream once celebrities such as Britney Spears and Shaquille O’ Neal began using the app. As the app allows you to share what is on your mind at any given point during the day, Twitter usually sees an increase in use around the times of big international events, for example the FIFA world cup, high profile deaths and elections. For this reason Twitter is often a source for ‘breaking news’ updates from around the world.
From 2015 Twitter began to see a decline in popularity with the rise of other social media platforms such as Instagram. That said, the app has remained culturally relevant due to its association with social movements such as Black Lives Matter and the #Metoo.
Another reason for the continued relevance of Twitter is its use by US president Donald Trump throughout his election campaign and presidency. The controversial president often uses Twitter to share ideas and communicate with his fanbase.
Similar to other social media websites like Facebook, Twitter has also received a lot of criticism regarding its role in spreading misinformation. Earlier this year Twitter announced that it would be flagging tweets that may contain misleading information. In May Twitter marked a tweet criticizing mail in ballots by US President Donald Trump as potentially misleading. Trump responded by signing an executive order ‘preventing online censorship.’
Despite the app’s slight decrease in popularity, Twitter remains one of the most influential websites in the world, alongside Google, Facebook and Instagram.
Let's see What you Remember from the text!
- What was the original name of the Twitter website.
- When did Jack Dorsey send his very first twet?
- What was new Twitter?
- Why did Donald Trump sign an executive order preventing online censorship?
Useful Vocabulary
Prototype – Original version
Revamped – Changed
Mainstream – Popular
Breaking News – Newly received information.
Misinformation – False Information
Flagging – Marking
