When the first tweet went around the world - From 'twttr' to X: How Twitter's 18-year journey reshaped communication

Twitter began as a simple idea for sharing short messages via SMS. On March 21, 2006, co-founder Jack Dorsey posted the first tweet, writing, 'just setting up my twttr'. What started as an internal project soon grew into a global platform for real-time news and public discussion.

The platform's micro-messaging concept quickly took off. Within a few years, Twitter became a key space for breaking news, debates, and social interactions. Its influence spread far beyond its original purpose as a status-update tool.

In 2021, Dorsey's first tweet made headlines again when it sold as an NFT for several million dollars. The auction highlighted Twitter's cultural impact and the growing interest in digital collectibles.

A major turning point came in 2022 when Elon Musk bought the company for $44 billion. His takeover led to sweeping changes, including large-scale layoffs, revised content moderation rules, and new ways to make money from the platform. A year later, Musk rebranded Twitter as X, signalling his ambition to turn it into an 'everything app'—a single service for messaging, payments, and more.

Today, the platform reports over 500 million monthly active users worldwide. While exact regional growth figures since Musk's acquisition remain unclear, the shift to X marks a bold new direction for the service.

From a single tweet in 2006 to a global communication tool, the platform has evolved dramatically. Under Musk's ownership, it now operates as X, with a focus on expanding beyond social media. The changes reflect a broader push to reshape how people interact online.