//

More and more Twitter is feeling like an echo chamber, but looking back on its decade of existence, it definitely changed the world

(Left to Right) Twitter Co-founders Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Jack Dorsey

When going through some emails today there was one that stood out — not for its groundbreaking technology or a dramatic CEO flameout. No, this one caught my attention because, well, it made me feel old.

The first sentence read: “On March 21, ten years ago, it began with a single Tweet.”

Today, Twitter turned 10. A full, wrinkle-inducing, hair-line receding, gut-growing decade.

And while Twitter is going through a significant downturn that genuinely puts the future of the company in question, when Jack Dorsey sent out the following tweet, I do not believe be thought, in his wildest imagination, his company would have made the impact it did.

just setting up my twttr

— Jack (@jack) March 21, 2006

Seriously though, close your eyes and picture a company with 320 million monthly active users, one billion monthly unique visits, 80 per cent of users on mobile and 35 offices around the world. Every startup in Block 71, CyberJaya or Slipicon Valley would sell their souls for those stats.

But, when your name is Twitter and people compare you to Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, it is clearly running fourth-fiddle these days.

The company has growth problems caused in part by Twitter-abuse (not only a social problem but it also harms the bottom line). Also, the reality is, for Twitter to be worthwhile, it takes time, energy and patience — ironic for a company famous for the 140-character limit.

Twitter’s CEO (Dorsey) is simultaneously the CEO of another major company (Square) and its stock options are a disaster.

If journalists did not L-O-V-E Twitter (free advertising), one wonders where the company would be today.

Also Read: Twitter is in a rut; is the Philippines its key to getting out?

All that being said, even if the future does not look bright for the micro-blogging platform, what it has accomplished is revolutionary (quite literally in one specific case) .

If used correctly, Twitter still remains the fastest way to find news.

It also has given underrepresented people a voice by allowing them to bypass the media and, while a seemingly superficial benefit, one of the most important values of the company is to give celebrities direct access to their fans.

Finally, it is hard to imagine a peak quite like Twitter’s, when in 2011 the platform played a key role in toppling governments during the Arab Spring.

A ’10 iconic moments’ infographic (curated for APAC readers) included in the message was a reminder of what Twitter does that nobody else has managed to duplicate. Readers will notice many of the top stories are tragedies, elections or calls for social justice.

When people need important information fast, for an impactful event, Twitter still may hold the crown.

The infographic is shared below:

—

Photo courtesy of Twitter.

The post Twitter is 10: What Asia has been tweeting in the past decade appeared first on e27.

from e27 http://ift.tt/1VtRBSK