Social Media Suspect #2: Twitter

After reading Social Media Suspect #1: Facebook, I’m sure you’re dying to know who will be named Social Media Suspect #2. Well, look no further because the time is now!

(Cue dramatic but necessary pause…)

Tweet….tweet…tweet……tweet!

What’s that sound..? It’s a bird….it’s a plane…it’s TWITTER!

Twitter: The Single-Greatest Relationship and Branding Tool Infographic
The proof is in the pudding - Twitter is a powerful player in the social media landscape and is here to stay.
https://visual.ly/community/infographic/social-media/twitter-single-greatest-relationship-and-branding-tool

For a site whose name seems to have been derived from a Looney Tunes character, Twitter is anything and everything but looney. It’s an engrained part of our culture and plays an important role in the way that people interact with each other throughout the world. What was supposed to have been created as an SMS-messaging platform back in 2006 has since turned into one of the social media industry’s top heavy-hitters (MacArthur, et al 2017).

Contrary to popular belief, Facebook isn’t the only popular social media kid on the block. While Facebook’s introduction to society could have been initially perceived as MySpace 2.0 (with way less customizable features, but that’s another post for another time), Twitter jumped onto the scene and switched everything up with the concept of micro-blogging. Rather than foster a site where users could customize profile content, the name of Twitter’s game is to foster conversation using posts (or rather, tweets) that are limited to 140 characters in nature and categorized using designated hashtags (which now have unique emojis attached to them in some cases…ooh pretty!)

With its unique take on digital engagement, Twitter’s role in mass media has completely revolutionized the communications realm. News outlets, beat journalists, as well as practically any individual and/or group under the sun, all maintain a presence on Twitter to instantly share information and/or insights on events/happenings in a short and sweet format. Because of the instantaneous nature of the platform, it’s a go-to source for the most up-to-date information in real-time. Overall, the presence of mass media via Twitter is an absolute game changer when it comes to society’s expectation of receiving news when, where, and how they want it (a.k.a. convergence journalism).
Image result for twitter cartoon
With such a high demand for news and insights in real time, Twitter's micro-blogging purpose helps make that happen. 
https://netdna.webdesignerdepot.com/uploads/2009/03/7.gif
References
MacArthur, A. (2017, Apr 26). The Real History of Twitter, In Brief. Lifewire.com. Retrieved
          October 20th, 2017 from https://www.lifewire.com/history-of-twitter-3288854

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