Blog Post #6: Diffusion of Innovation: Twitter
Introduction
Everett Rogers’ Diffusion Theory organizes how a person adopts innovation in 5 different stages: innovation, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. Each of these stages entails certain qualities of what makes an innovation become well-known in a positive or negative way or perhaps not well-known in any sense but still either positive or negative. Products, organizations, and sites all have a diffusion of theory graph that can be drawn up for them. Everything has to start somewhere and whether that visualization of the diffusion of theory is going to have a glorious look depends on what society thinks. No better example of the immense impact the diffusion of theory plays in our world today can be shared than one of a social media site. For this blog post, I am going to dive into how each stage of the diffusion of theory is incorporated into Twitter, one of, if not the most controversial social media site of them all and how it has grown over time through the diffusion of theory. In addition, I will thoroughly go through the positives and negatives presented through Twitter, why some people enjoy using the platform on a daily basis, why others do not, and formulate a final verdict of whether the positives of Twitter outweigh the negative or vice versa.
Background of Twitter: Innovators and Early Adopters
Twitter began its existence under the name of Twttr back in March of 2006. The platform was designed by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Noah Glass, and Biz Stone. Jack Dorsey sent out the first ever tweet with the caption "just setting up my twttr" Six months shortly after its launch, Twttr became Twitter. Twitter had around 20,000 tweets being sent per day during its first year of existence. Those were taking part shortly after the creation of Twitter were the innovators as they were willing to take part in trying a new product. By March of 2007, Twitter debuted at the South by Southwest music conference where it gained tons of attention and thus Twitter’s rise to stardom had begun as it was created as a corporate entity. In 2007, Twitter had a total of 50,000 active weekly users and over 60,000 tweets were sent out per day. The number of active users per week then rose to over 200,000 in March of 2008 with the platform having over 1 million users in total. With Twitter still being relatively new and trying to break its ground in the world of social media in 2008, the 1 million users who were on Twitter at this time and those who joined after Twitter’s debut at the South by Southwest music conference would be classified as the early adopters. They were a part of the first group to be a part of this soon to be very famous platform. Essentially, these early adapters along with the innovators were the “test dummies'' and “special users” who would provide Williams and Stone with how successful Twitter had the potential to be.
Little did they know at the time that it would end up being one of the top social media networking sites in our society today in 2021. It’s also very fascinating to think that those 1 million users would be a part of history. Oftentimes as early adopters, you are a part of something that is trying to break ground and find its niche. It can be very risky and even dangerous being an early adapter for a certain product or technology. Connecting this to the concept of privacy, what if Twitter had a bunch of issues with hacks and invasions of privacy such as leaking users personal information right when it began being actively used in 2007? Would it have continued to see a drastic increase in users for years to come? Most likely not. Nevertheless, being an early adapter for a technological platform like Twitter is MUCH easier than being an early adapter for something like a roller coaster. Being part of the first group to ride something that can potentially be life-threatening and dangerous to go on is a lot worse than simply using a social media platform. However, it is important to note that back in 2007, Facebook and MySpace were really the only two dominant and “trustworthy” social media sites which meant Twitter would not have as much competition and their actual challenge was actually going to be trying to sell people on using their platform. I may have only been 5-6 years old around this time, but I do remember barely anyone having social media accounts during this time period and if they did they were not a consistent user on it. 1 million total users with only 200,000 of them using it weekly proves my point of social media not being as prominently used as it is today. Sure, some may have been duplicate accounts like professional accounts and bots were a thing, but even subtracting the two does not match with the concept of the popularity of social media being a real thing back in the year 2007.
By 2017, the number of characters that a user was permitted to use in each tweet doubled from 140 to 280 allowing for people to incorporate more elaborate details into their tweets. Just look at the revenue difference between 2013 and 2020 to see how much money Twitter has been able to make as a company because of its increased number of active users. In the year of 2013, the company had an overall revenue of $0.6 billion and in 2020 that number was a $3.7 billion total. A 3.1 billion dollar increase, showing that Twitter made triple the amount of money it did just seven years prior which is phenomenal and goes to show just how much more popular the platform has gotten over time. People who joined Twitter shortly after 2015, which was the first year where Twitter had hit over 300 million monthly users were the ones who were a part of the late majority of Twitter. Twitter had consistent success at this time and lots more people were able to persuade others to join Twitter than there were back in 2007. In other words, there was a lot more information that was accessible to conducting and studying in order for someone to make an informed decision of whether or not they wanted to make a Twitter account. Lots of people by 2015 were well aware of what Twitter was, but many were still skeptical of joining the platform and what beneficial purpose it could serve to their everyday lives. For me, I had heard and knew a lot about Twitter at this time, but I did not feel the need to create an account. The only thing I did was go ahead and view a person's account since I did not have to make one of my own to view one. However, I did this maybe a total of three times in 2015, but by the end of that year, I had seen lots of people in my school begin to create Twitter accounts and I was able to learn more about what the platform entailed and why so many people were using it. I remember there being talks about how the world's major trends and videos were being shared and discussed on the platform which was ultimately making Twitter a more watched and used social media site.
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| Twitter made its debut at the South by Southwest Music Conference in 2007 held in Austin, Texas where it won the SXSW Web Award which help the platform acquire more active users and revenue. Early Majority The early majority within Twitter made its presence known when Twitter took an even bigger leap in popularity in the years between 2008-2010. By the end of 2008 Twitter had over 6 million monthly users. In 2009 saw that number triple as it rose to 18 million monthly users and finally in 2010 that number rose all the way up to 54 million which was 12 times as many monthly users that they had the year prior. Ashton Kutcher had been the first person on Twitter to reach a million followers in 2009, but CNN was right behind him in accomplishing that same feat. This made Twitter realize that their value was rapidly increasing and they were actually a platform that could be used as a strong communication tool. This led to them sending tweets about various promotions and events which ultimately drew more people into using the platform and not using it here and there, but on a consistent basis, hence the reason why there was such a drastic increase between 2009 and 2010. Twitter had finally become a polished social media platform and extremely reputable and the 54 million monthly users in 2010 would be considered as the early majority for the platform. They were the ones who helped turn Twitter into an up and coming social media platform into one that was fully established. By 2013, Twitter had officially become a public company and in November of that same year, its initial public offering (IPO) raised $1.8 billion, giving it an overall market value of $31 billion. The platform also made a series of changes on its app shortly after as they added an instant timeline in 2015 giving users a more interactive experience where they can fill in their interests of what kind of news they are interested in consuming.
Late Majority  By 2017, the number of characters that a user was permitted to use in each tweet doubled from 140 to 280 allowing for people to incorporate more elaborate details into their tweets. Just look at the revenue difference between 2013 and 2020 to see how much money Twitter has been able to make as a company because of its increased number of active users. In the year of 2013, the company had an overall revenue of $0.6 billion and in 2020 that number was a $3.7 billion total. A 3.1 billion dollar increase, showing that Twitter made triple the amount of money it did just seven years prior which is phenomenal and goes to show just how much more popular the platform has gotten over time. People who joined Twitter shortly after 2015, which was the first year where Twitter had hit over 300 million monthly users were the ones who were a part of the late majority of Twitter. Twitter had consistent success at this time and lots more people were able to persuade others to join Twitter than there were back in 2007. In other words, there was a lot more information that was accessible to conducting and studying in order for someone to make an informed decision of whether or not they wanted to make a Twitter account. Lots of people by 2015 were well aware of what Twitter was, but many were still skeptical of joining the platform and what beneficial purpose it could serve to their everyday lives. For me, I had heard and knew a lot about Twitter at this time, but I did not feel the need to create an account. The only thing I did was go ahead and view a person's account since I did not have to make one of my own to view one. However, I did this maybe a total of three times in 2015, but by the end of that year, I had seen lots of people in my school begin to create Twitter accounts and I was able to learn more about what the platform entailed and why so many people were using it. I remember there being talks about how the world's major trends and videos were being shared and discussed on the platform which was ultimately making Twitter a more watched and used social media site. Why Do So Many People Still Use Twitter?  Despite the constant controversy it may receive, Twitter still has over 192 million active users as of 2021 and the platform is growing by the minute. Specifically, this past year with topics like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the 2020 Presidential Election, Twitter was used the primary source of social media to help people stay up to date with the latest issues and trends in society. A major reason why people leaned heavily on Twitter for topics of this nature is because the platform is very easy to use. Unlike Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram where a user needs to have a general understanding of how social media works to post accurate and high quality photos/videos, creating a Twitter post is very simple and the low characters actually help make it easier since there's only so much that one can say when they tweet something out. Furthermore, the ability to like and share tweets through the retweet feature on Twitter makes it very easy to start trends and expand your brand on the platform. Back in March of this year, I had announced a NCAA Women's Lacrosse game on ESPN+ between High Point and Davidson. The game went into overtime where Davidson defeated High Point by a score of 15-14. Shortly after the game, I go on Twitter and see that my game winning goal call was posted on Twitter by a lacrosse writer with over 6,800 followers. I then see a bunch of people liking and retweeting the video and next thing I know I see over 10 other accounts share the same video and its trending on #lacrosse. Needless to say, I was jumping up and down and was in complete awe after seeing that, but that by far was the one day where I appreciated the existence of Twitter IMMENSLY. The rapid ability that tweets, photos, and videos can be shared on the platform is amazing and it really can help the world get to see some fantastic moments like my game winning goal call :) Listed below are a couple of more pros as to why so many people enjoy using Twitter...
Why Are Their Still People Who Do Not Use Twitter? The Presence of Laggards |
Fast forward to today in 2021, there are still certain people who do not have Twitter accounts and there are even some individuals who have deleted their Twitter or are not on it as much as they once were before. These people would be considered the laggards of Twitter, a group where Twitter has a high number of them. In today’s society, there is a high level of controversy on Twitter is exceedingly high as the platform itself is known for some fairly popularized cons that are discussed heavily on a routinely basis. For starters, the high presence of bots on Twitter is something that draws a lot of people away from using the social media site. In 2017, it was reported that there were a total of 48 million bot accounts existent on Twitter. Twitter has been known as one of the more prominent social media sites to have a high rate of bots on their platform. From personal experience, I have seen numerous bots present on Twitter and with so many opinions being shared on the platform and tweets being sent out hourly, the probability of seeing a bot every day you use Twitter is pretty high. It is a lot more convenient to simply tweet out something then make a TikTok video, record a Snapchat story or upload an Instagram photo. Because of that more action takes place on Twitter than any other social media site by default. Furthermore, the character limit on tweets is something lots of people do not like. Twitter is presented as the social media site where people can chat and share their opinions with others in a fast way. However, with the limited number of characters one can use in a tweet, oftentimes a person's opinion cannot be shared in the way they had actually hoped. If you use Twitter, think about a time where you were trying to respond to someone on or tweet something on the site and then you find out that you have exceeded the number of characters on your tweet. You probably felt pretty frustrated right? Your thought was cut short and now you cannot share what you had originally written. This has been an annoying feature for lots of twitter users and they often don’t get why a platform that is meant for vocalizing opinions would limit exactly how much can go in one tweet which is why you will most likely see someone breakdown a major opinion or thought they have into a series of tweets which can be annoying to either write/read. Ultimately, the laggards of Twitter don't feel the need to join the platform for these reasons and others and they see themselves being able to function perfectly fine without having the need to own a personal Twitter account.
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| 280 is the character limit on Twitter, a feature that has sparked immense controversy for users on the platform. Twitter has made no plans to modify the character limit anytime soon. |
- Many arguments can arise through Twitter due to a variety of opinions being expressed on the platform
- Twitter is very accessible to those who do and do not have an account making it very easy for employers to view a candidates Twitter account that could be filled with inappropriate tweets, making it dangerous to post anything controversial
- Numerous users on the platform makes it hard to establish your own brand on the platform if you are looking to be an online influencer of some sort on Twitter
- Credibility of sources is sometimes hard to find on the site
- The cyberbullying existent on Twitter can cause depression, anxiety, and other issues related to mental health
- It can be EXTREMLEY addictive
Final Verdict: Which one outweighs the other... the positives or negatives of Twitter
I'm going to be honest here, for the longest time I have gone back and forth in terms of coming to a determination of whether the positives of Twitter outweigh the negatives or vice versa. Then again, I can be pretty indecisive at times so hey what can I do? With that being said, after writing this blog, conducting more research about Twitter, and doing some more elaborate thinking, I can optimistically say that I think the positives do outweigh the negatives in a fairly SLIGHT manner. The amount of news that can be consumed via Twitter on a daily basis is phenomenal and very accessible for all. The reason why many print newspapers are not even read every morning anymore is because of Twitter! Personally, I think people seem to focus more on the negative effects Twitter presents more than positives. That however goes with anything in life. Oftentimes, people want to judge another person for their flaws rather than appreciate the positive qualities about them which is unfair. Twitter gets a bad rep and by no means will I sit here and argue that the platform does not cause any harm in our society because it does with certain instances of cyber bullying, digital domestic violence, etc. But let's be real here, those things are prominent on every social media site, NOT just Twitter.
Twitter has the power to help spread positivity across the world and I have seen that numerous times with some of the most powerful hashtags on the trending page whether its celebrating a major accomplishment by someone or advocating for change or donation to a certain ongoing issue in our society. The diffusion theory has helped Twitter grow to existence immensely. Those innovators and early adopters helped set the tone for this platform to begin to find its place in the social media role. Then the social media adopters really were the ones who helped Twitter skyrocket into becoming one of the most commonly used social media platforms out there today. Sure Twitter has laggards, but doesn't every other social media platform have a bunch of laggards as well? Hell yeah they do. Not everybody is going to be in love with Twitter, but that's ok. There have been numerous people in our society who have seen themselves experience some extremely positive moments through Twitter, like I did with trending after announcing a college lacrosse game. I have seen people thank Twitter for giving them a platform to voice their opinion or share a life-changing moment. Ultimately, Twitter gives use these golden opportunities to us that not only allows for the diffusion theory to be actively present on their platform, but it allows for our society to be more in-tuned and connected all together, something that we desperately need through these unusual times.
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