Happy birthday, Twitter!
Having already cemented itself as one of the world’s biggest social media platforms. Twitter celebrates its 15th anniversary on March 22.
With just 4.6 million monthly active users in Australia, it’s fair to say that the platform is yet to really take off in the country. However, it’s hard to question that Twitter might just be the most influential 15-year-old in the world.
Whether it is breaking news, social movements, rebellion, or even just a few silly jokes, Twitter has become a popular destination for people looking to express themselves, stay informed, and connect with people from all over the world.
As Twitter celebrates its 15th anniversary, let’s take a look back at a few of the most significant moments in the history of Twitter.
1. The first tweet on Twitter (or twttr)
A simple tweet from one of Twitter’s co-founders, Jack Dorsey, back on March 22, 2006, was the first-ever tweet tweeted on Twitter. Say that three times fast.
In the age of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), some Twitter users have even been offering to purchase the digital rights to Jack’s tweet for ridiculous amounts of money.
With the current bid sitting at 2.5 million USD, who knows how much the first tweet will be worth in another 15 years?
2. The hashtag is born
With just how ubiquitous the humble hashtag is on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok nowadays, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s always been the case.
However, it may surprise you that the idea wasn’t even considered until it was floated in a tweet by Chris Messina.
3. Barack Obama announces his reelection on Twitter
To say Twitter has an interesting relationship with politics and democracy might just be the understatement of the century.
Back in 2012, when times were more … straightforward, former president Barack Obama took to Twitter to announce his successful reelection.
4. Twitter doubles the character limit
For the first 11 years of Twitter’s existence, users were limited to just 140 characters per Tweet. The restricted character limit forced users to be creative, concise, and somewhat thoughtful with their tweets.
While some users loved the 140-character limit, others found it far too restrictive. As it turned out, Twitter eventually buckled, doubling the character limit to 280 in 2017.
The move saw many Twitter users take to the platform to protest, share their opinions, and have a bit of fun.
5. Twitter launches Promoted Tweets
In what was a massive addition for marketers and brands, Twitter dipped their toes into the advertising waters back in 2010, when promoted Tweets hit the platform.
In Twitter’s own words, “Promoted Tweets are ordinary Tweets that businesses and organisations want to highlight to a wider group of users.”
Essentially, promoted Tweets allowed business and advertisers to pay to reach more people with their Tweets.
6. The most-liked tweet is tweeted
Following actor Chadwick Boseman’s passing, a tweet from his official account announcing his death has been liked over 7.4 million times. It is currently the most-liked tweet of all time.
It’s been a pretty wild ride for Twitter so far. Where to from here? Only time will tell what the next 15 years has in store for the platform!
