Happy birthday Twitter!  The hugely popular social network just turned 5-years-old.  On March 21^st, 2006 when the first ever tweet was sent into cyberspace, who could have imagined that Twitter was about to change lives, careers…even the world.  Now close to 140 million 140-character Tweets are sent a day – around a billion every 8 days!!

Personally, Twitter is an easy way for me to stay connected with friends and peers in one place, as a journalist it’s become a vital platform for me to send and receive information in an instant, but on a much grander scale it’s astounding to see how the social network is now a global tool for social and political change.

Of course every user has become fond (or opposed) to Twitter for their own reasons, so I thought it might be fun to ask some of our favorite Twitterers exactly how the social network has changed their lives…with the challenge of answering in 140 characters or less, of course!

@fionabloom: “Twitter has changed my life w/being able 2 share, engage & impact lives by giving back 2 the community in Real Time”

@theRealKano: “Before twitter you could connect with fans with maybe a hand shake in the front row. Now they spend the whole day with us like friends.”

@Daydog: “2 yrs & I still feel new 2 Twitter. It changed my views on friends/celebs & is my news source. Important for brand building/promo & jokes!”

 

@JamalSimmons: “@LeslieSanchez forcibly opened my acct on a #CNN set. Now when there’s breaking news I go to the interweb then straight to the Twitterverse!”

@Chamillionaire: “The best thing about Twitter is it has made it a lot easier for me to find out current events in real time as they happen.”

@MicahJesse “Twitter enables me to share in any way I feel be it good news or just venting bc there are ppl out there who feel the same way at that moment.”

 

@ciphasounds: “Twitter is the best invention ever..Link up with old chicks I haven’t seen in a while..Like my grandma. Allows me to use LOL excessively.”

@iamQuddus: “I love how Twitter is such an easy platform to see what people are up to and what they’re thinking about. It allows you to stay so connected”

@rappublicist: “Twitter has made it easier to connect on a personal level with my clients’ fans and with editors/bloggers. I love it!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

@LaMarrWoodley: “You don’t have to watch ESPN, fans can get info directly from the athlete.  I can report my own stories without someone reporting them for me”

@NelsonGeorge: “Twitter has opened up a world of info, links & people that has enriched my contact with and understanding of this rapidly evolving world.”

@DJLoganSama: “Before Twitter I never realized how damn strange some of the fans…and some of the artists I work with actually are.”

 

 

@fairoza: “Discovering new music, sharing experiences, different cultures. Spiritual views and inspirational quotes to get you through the day.”

 

 

@ChuckCreekmur: “it has changed my life mostly from a business standpoint in content delivery. Then there are the acts of foolishness!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@betsy1jones: “It’s changing the world – Twitter revolution in Egypt, Japan quake victims used it to contact family, brings attn. to international issues”

 

 

@ChefPaul10: “Split second news, comic relief, educational, global opinions on subject matter. Meeting great ppl. Follown you!”

 

@AndreShowell: “I have a love-hate relationship with Twitter. Hate it because it means the end of solitude. Love it because it means you’re never alone.”

 

 

 

So there you have it tweethearts!  Here’s to another 5 exciting years for us on Twitter… and trillions more tweets.  Find me at @sharoncarpenter