Thousands Tweet to Fete Tweets Patrick Ferguson - The News | |
go to original March 14, 2012 |
MEXICO CITY – Thousands of Twitterers, people who use the microblog social networking site Twitter, congratulated themselves on Monday on a job well-done.
The reason for celebration: Twitter’s self-proclaimed International Twitterer Day.
With the hashtag #DiaInternacionalDeLosTuiteros, Spanish speaking Twitterers posted tweets, such as “congratulations to us!” and “it’s a plane, it’s Superman, no … it’s Twitter!”
Since founder Jack Dorsey launched the networking service in 2006, Twitter has expanded its membership to more than 400 million users worldwide.
Twitter has become a mainstay for governments to disseminate information quickly and for individuals to comment on political and sports events, and to keep abreast of their favorite singer or movie star.
In Mexico, Twitter is the most used social networking website. The country currently ranks 11th of most Twitter users worldwide, according to Sysomos, a U.S.-based market research company.
Twitter uses a microblog platform, meaning that users can only post messages up to 140 characters. This platform makes Twitter a conducive outlet for people to rattle off witty comments, publicly chide a politician or to find out why a certain street is congested with traffic.
In Mexico, Twitter has allowed drivers to communicate and avoid the infamous “alcoholimetros,” temporary police checkpoints where policemen check to see whether drivers have been drinking.
But it also has other uses. Once thought to be only a source of entertainment, Twitter has gained more attention in governments and politics. U.S. President Obama, President Felipe Calderón, Mexican presidential candidates and nearly all federal secretariats constantly post news and political messages on any given weekday.
Academic circles have also jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. The Modern Language Association, an organization which publishes the standard academic writing-style guide in the United States, released a formal document earlier this year informing students how to cite a tweet in academic papers.
But with more power comes more responsibility.
Chris Cairns, a former professional New Zealand cricket player, is suing Lalit Modi, the former commissioner of the Indian Cricket Premier League, after Modi posted, on Twitter, an accusation that Cairns had thrown games. The case is currently in the London High Court.
Almost six years after it’s launch, Twitter continues to gain popularity and plans to have 500 million users by the end of this month. Happy tweeting.
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