@Twitter: Happy 5th Birthday
MIAMI (CBS4) -- The world of social media is celebrating a birthday Monday. Twitter is 5 years old today.
The first "tweet" was sent on the social network on March 21, 2006. Since that day, Twitter has gone from an application for benign messaging to helping rebels topple political regimes.
What was the first tweet and who sent it? Founder Jack Dorsey launched Twitter with: "just setting up my twttr." It was the world's first tweet.
"A couple years ago, nobody had heard of Twitter, and now all we talk about is Twitter and social media," according to Karen North, director of online communities at the University of Southern California on the CBS Early Show.
With a computer or smart phone, users can send text messages of 140 characters or fewer to a group of friends, also known as followers.
"It's easy, it's quick. It's a perfect information stream that's very accessible," said Sam, a University of Miami student.
Entertainers like Lady Gaga, Twitter's most popular user with an audience of nearly nine million; uses the site to talk directly to fans in real time. She recently tweeted "I Designed a Japan Prayer Bracelet. Buy It/Donate here and ALL proceeds will go to Tsunami Relief Efforts. Go Monsters." She raised a quarter of a million dollars.
It's not just pop stars and the Hollywood elite using it.
President Obama is Twitter's fourth most popular person, with seven million followers. North said of his account, "President Obama can use this both to say 'Support me on this,' or he can use it to create a sense of personal connection."
At first, Twitter was written off by many as mundane musings on ordinary events. But today, with more than 200 million users sending 140 million tweets a day, Twitter has become more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
Earlier this year, for instance, protesters in Egypt demanded the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak and used Twitter to help organize their revolution.
People in Japan used Twitter to post news about how serious the situation was where they were during the recent massive earthquake.
"The fact that there are people tweeting from major news events and it tends to be the first source of information, that's really the key," according to Rich Beckman, a University of Miami Professor of Visual Journalism.
Twitter's influence even helps businesses. Latin Burger, a local food truck, tweets their location out to followers.
"All of our business is based on this. We didn't tell anyone we were coming today," said Latin Burger owner Jim Heines.
With its real-time updates and clear channel to the masses, Twitter has moved beyond its humble instant messaging past and allows its followers to document and even change history.
