decade since, Twitter has given way to social movements like the Arab Spring and Occupy

Wall Street. The site has been embraced by 2016 presidential candidates, as well as world

leaders, celebrities and even the Pope. With this in mind, we wanted to know, just how

powerful is Twitter?

Well, when Twitter hit the web, the founders set a mandate for brevity. Tweets can not

exceed 140 characters, and users can group ideas with hashtags. This gave the social

network a unique identity, separate from competitors. Twitter quickly became a gateway between companies

and consumers. At its peak in 2013, the company was worth more than $30 billion dollars. However

due to slowing user growth and revenue loss, its worth has plummeted to about $10 billion.

Still, the platform boasts more than 300 million active users, which is roughly equal to the

population of the United States. And even after massive layoffs in 2015, the company

still employs nearly four thousand people all around the world.

But despite their dwindling power as a business, Twitter is still a driving force in politics

and the media. In the political world, the platform took off in 2008, as a campaign tool

for Barack Obama. Seeing the success of his presidential run, conservatives took to social

media as well. In 2009, the newly formed Tea Party Movement broadened their influence by

reaching out to followers through their Twitter page, rather than through mailers or leaflets

Today, Twitter is not just a niche tool for politicians, it's an essential part of their

reality. In the 2016 presidential race, Front runner Donald Trump is by far more active

on Twitter than any of his opponents. His so-called mastery of the platform has been

linked to his campaign’s success. Trump could be taking notes from Obama’s strategy

during 2012 election, as he out-tweeted his rival, Mitt Romney, eight times over. When

Obama coined the term “Romnesia” to illustrate his opponent’s inconsistent political stances,

the hashtag took off on Twitter. The critique of Romney was lauded as one of the key causes

of his loss.

But perhaps Twitter’s greatest power is its ability to organize and unite people for

a common cause. This was demonstrated in 2011, when Egyptians took to the streets to rally

against their long-running president, (HOHS-nee moo-BAH-rahk) Hosni Mubarak . During the week

before Mubarak’s resignation, tweets about Egypt ballooned from just over two thousand

a day to nearly a quarter-million. This inspired Twitter-organized protests in Turkey, Libya

and Ukraine, a string of events known as the Twitter Revolution. Experts say internal communication

through social media was essential to these popular uprisings, as media outlets were often

controlled by oppressive governments.

But despite its overwhelming use as a force of good, Twitter is also a promotional tool

for terrorist groups like ISIS. In an effort to condemn such behavior, the company has

shut down more than 125,000 accounts with pro-terrorism rhetoric The move was applauded

by the Obama Administration, who has pushed for more government collaboration with social

media sites.

So just how powerful is Twitter? Well, with its popularity among corporations, politicians,

and activists there’s no denying the social network's widespread reach. But Twitter’s

real power may lie in its ability to get the world to embrace brevity.