“What is Twitter?” That’s a cry I’ve heard many times before. I said it myself, even, when I was just a Facebook foundling. Now, sadly, I have become corrupted by the short-form, snack-sized, itty-bitty bits of information Twitter offers me, and, I’m ashamed to say, dear reader, I’ve become an expert.
So, who better to answer the question than myself? Well, maybe Elon Musk, or that Jack guy, or, well, countless others. But they don’t work for Pocket Tactics, buddy, and I do. If you’ve had enough already, check out our what is Instagram, what is TikTok, what is Zoom, what is LinkedIn, and what is Apple One guides.
What is Twitter?
Twitter is a social media platform where users share 280-character thoughts, jokes, news, and pretty much anything else you can put into words. You can add pictures, videos, polls, and many other things to a post, but you can’t go over 280 characters.
The original character limit for Twitter was increased to 280 in 2017, whereas before it was 140. I’m no mathematician, but I’m pretty sure that’s a 100% increase, let me just check my calculator… Yep, that’s double!
Anyway, Twitter is a good spot to go to find news, especially in specific industries. Many people use it as a tool for work, unlike other social media platforms which are more focused on communicating with friends and family. This isn’t the sole use for Twitter, however, as there are many ways you can make use of it. The best way to find out is to dive in and give it a go.
To create a tweet, head to Twitter and press the plus sign on the mobile app, or type in the box at the top of the homepage on your desktop. What are you going to say? Well, as Twitter itself prompts, just consider ‘what’s happening’, whatever that means.
What is the explore tab on Twitter?
The explore tab on Twitter is where you can find trending information. Stuff can trend because of breaking news, a new video game trailer, or anything else many people are talking about it. The more the keyword is used across the platform, the higher it trends.
To find the explore tab, head to Twitter and either press explore on the left-hand side in the web browser, or magnifying glass symbol at the bottom of the screen in the mobile app. From there, you can see various things trending either globally or within your country, industry, or demographic.
What is Twitter Blue?
Twitter Blue is a new paid tier of the social media platform. It offers subscribers a blue checkmark, the illustrious sign once reserved for public figures, journalists, and other reputable outlets.
Tweets from verified users are prioritised, while adverts are reduced by 50%. Subscribers can also post longer videos and get early access to undefined Twitter Blue Labs features. It costs $8/£8 per month or $84/£84 per year.
Do what you want with your money and everything, but if you want my two cents, a paid subscriber tier that doesn’t remove all adverts and offers access to exclusive yet undefined features sounds like a bit of a scam to me!
What is a hashtag?
A hashtag is when you put the octothorpe symbol (#) before a word. This highlights it on Twitter, allowing you and others to tap on the highlighted word to see other posts that have used the same hashtag.
What are Twitter Circles?
Twitter Circles are closed groups of people you can tweet to specifically. This means you can create a circle of people that follow you and only tweet to that select group. If you have some livelier followers or thoughts you don’t want the whole world to have access to this allows you to do it privately with closer friends.
Who owns Twitter?
Elon Musk owns Twitter, after buying the social media platform for $44 billion. In December 2022, he said he would step down as CEO after finding a replacement. Ex-CEO Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams founded the company.
Okay then, you’re now more than well enough equipped for the next time someone asks you ‘what is Twitter?’ If you want more diligently formulated answers to sentences starting with interrogatives, check out our what is Genshin Impact, what is Netflix, and what is Microsoft Teams guides.
