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X (Twitter)X, formerly known as Twitter, is a digital microblogging platform where users can post, read, and exchange short messages. First launched in 2006, it has evolved from a text-based service emphasizing brevity into a full-featured, ad-supported social media platform boasting over 557 million monthly active users, approximately 4 billion monthly visits, and an estimated 500 million tweets sent daily.
From the outset, Twitter's defining feature was its 140-character limit, inspired by the space constraints of text messaging. Twitter's publicly available stream of tweets from millions of users helped shape culture and political discourse through real-time user interactions. In 2010, the platform began to monetize through promoted tweets, accounts, and trends.
SpaceX and Tesla cofounder Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022 for $44B. Under Musk, Twitter underwent significant changes, including layoffs of thousands of workers, the introduction of a paid subscription model, and a rebranding as X. Content moderation has become a considerable challenge for the site, and the ease of creating multiple accounts has enabled automated accounts—known as bots—to falsely legitimize specific profiles, perspectives, or ideas.Explore X (Twitter)
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Donald Trump's Truth Social social media platform is launching a prediction marketNamed "Truth Predict," the cryptocurrency-based prediction market will allow users of the Truth Social social media platform to place crypto bets on the outcome of certain events (think: sports games, the economy, and political races). Truth Social is primarily owned by President Donald Trump and his family. WIREDMark Zuckerberg views Meta as a technology company—not a social media companyDespite Meta's core products being social media apps, Zuckerberg is adamant that Meta is a technology company that has built social media apps, but can build and is comfortable building other technologies—like AI-integrated glasses and virtual reality labs. This social media account posts whenever Liza Minnelli outlives various historical events and peopleA bizarre and hilarious tribute to the entertainment icon, this X account posts about the many happenings that come to an end while Liza Minnelli lives on. Posts include references to Minnelli outliving the Internet Explorer browser, "The Ellen Degenerous Show," and OJ Simpson. LizaMinnelliOutlivesKaty Perry's 2015 halftime show generated many memes in the age of social mediaDuring Super Bowl XLIX, Katy Perry's halftime performance—especially the unscripted "Left Shark"—went viral, becoming one of the first Super Bowl shows to fully translate into memes across social media platforms. NFLDonald Trump redefined presidential communication in the social media ageTrump used platforms like Twitter (now X) to bypass traditional media, announce policy, and confront opponents directly. His online presence reshaped political messaging, blurred the line between official and personal communication, and transformed how presidents engage the public. Diggit MagazineOn social media, satire is often mistaken for newsA 2018 study found that satire was often mistaken for legitimate fact, with stories from outlets like The Onion being shared widely without any understanding of their satirical intent. Likewise, the study found that media outlets often mislabeled satire as "fake news," a label that implies disinformation rather than social commentary. Association for Computing MachineryOne teacher's lesson on existentialism and social media useDuring a unit on existentialist literature and philosophy, one teacher at Massachusetts’ Phillips Academy asked students to surrender their cell phones to test Kierkegaard’s thoughts on the danger of conformity and Sartre’s belief that humans are “condemned to be free.” Many of them were surprised to find how liberated they felt once they left behind social media. Kappan OnlineMusic today is often intended to circulate on social mediaArtists are increasingly using TikTok and other short form video platforms as a space to promote their music. One scholar notes this emphasis, and connect it to Taylor Swift's early use of social media to promote her own work and brand. University of Chicago NewsCritics argue social media made 'foodie' culture increasingly superficialFor 40 years, being a "foodie" meant possessing knowledge and expertise about ingredients, restaurants, and flavors. Now, the author argues, being a foodie has more to do with documenting aesthetically pleasing meals than critical consumption. She argues for increased attention toward the complex systems that bring food to our tables. The Yale ReviewSocial media algorithms are shaping real-life language through memesThe evolution of the internet in the early 2000s supercharged the creation and spread of memetic content. Now, highly tuned algorithms on platforms like TikTok and YouTube influence the language, phrasing, and content of creators, which shapes how we use language in the real world. On with Kara SwisherThe IRS may look at your social media if you're being auditedWhile some people cheat on their taxes, others evade paying them altogether. This article details methods the Internal Revenue Service uses to catch these people in the act, such as scanning social media, computer data analysis, and whistleblowers. InvestopediaX is a social media platform focused on real-time communication and content sharingUsers post and interact through short messages known as tweets. As of February 2025, X receives over 4.83 billion monthly visits, with users spending an average of 34 minutes daily on the platform. Exploding TopicsThe 'Miracle on the Hudson' showed heroism in the air and changed social media foreverOn Jan. 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 lost both engines after hitting birds and was safely landed in the Hudson River. The event was a turning point for Twitter, as a photo and a tweet quickly spread—marking Twitter’s rise as a real-time news source. NPRThe rebrand to X was to make Twitter an all-in-one social media appElon Musk renamed the platform as part of his plan to create an app that goes beyond posts and tweets. The rebrand included a new name, logo, and vision for a platform that offers messaging, video, banking, shopping, and more. BufferReels have strongly influenced NASCAR’s social media strategy With viewership and attendance tanking from 2008 to 2018, NASCAR knew it needed better marketing to reach the next generation of fans, so it designed a new social media and content creation strategy. Using these new methods, it achieved 27% follower growth in three years. Marketing BrewWedding photographers and other vendors have tailored their services to social media in recent yearsIn this podcast interview with Xochitl Gonzalez, a former luxury wedding planner who wrote the viral “The Fake Poor Bride” article in 2023, you’ll learn a lot about how the wedding industrial complex has evolved over the past few years and how modern additions, such as the rise of wedding styling services for "wedding weeks," have driven costs up. The AtlanticSocial media can reinforce echo chambers that amplify pre-existing sentimentsA 2023 Nature study showed that exposure to diverse content left participants with unchanged core beliefs, suggesting social media alone cannot create hateful viewpoints. However, such platforms allow rhetoric to spread widely, potentially exacerbating geopolitical tensions. 1440As of 2025, Meta Platforms Inc. is the largest social media company in the worldFacebook alone has nearly three billion monthly active users, with advertising across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp generating 97% of Meta's revenue. Messenger adds more than 650,000 users a daily. Investing.comMusic writer Paul Morley believes opera is an antidote to social media consumptionMusic writer Paul Morley weighs in on the debate about the relevance of opera. While acknowledging criticisms that opera is snobbish and outdated, Morley argues the lengthy, emotive, and literary art form presents an important intellectual opposition to today’s world of fast-paced online consumption. Opera endures because it provides hope. Literary HubIn 2022, there were 4.2 billion social media users across the globeAmong them were 200 million creators. Linktree, a company that helps create links in people’s social media bios (and much more), gathered the most important numbers from 2022 to get a more accurate picture of what the creator economy looks like, numerically speaking. LinktreeSee the Russian Revolution reimagined as if it unfolded on social mediaThis creative project retells the lead-up to the 1917 October Revolution as a Facebook-style newsfeed, blending archival photos with excerpts from letters and diaries by figures like Trotsky, Gertrude Stein, and Stravinsky to recreate events in a modern format. Project 1917Run your own social media Trust & Safety team with this eye-opening gameEver wondered what really goes on behind the scenes at a popular social media company trying to keep users, businesses, and workers safe? Now you can try out your own ideas for moderation and management with this fun and informative game designed to... Atlantic CouncilInvestigation finds 'influencer' dietitians paid to promote sugar, supplements on social mediaA joint investigation by The Examiner and The Washington Post found that food, beverage, and supplement corporations and groups have paid registered dietitians on social media to promote content that goes against decades of scientific evidence on... The ExaminationSocial media is stressing teens outThis seven-minute podcast explores the relationship between teenage social media use and rising mental health concerns among adolescents in the US. While initially alluring, excessive social media use is proven to lead to increased feelings of isolation, mental health declines, increased stress, and general dissatisfaction among teens. To counteract these negative effects and manage stress, experts suggest methods such as conducting digital audits to track screen time, adding friction (or obstacles) to app usage to reduce mindless scrolling, and investing time in offline activities and hobbies. To reinforce these strategies, it's essential for parents to set screen time boundaries with their teens and demonstrate healthy digital habits themselves. NPRMeet the Singhs, one of India's most popular social media familiesThe Singh family consists of two parents and three daughters who produce tens of videos and hundreds of posts each week, all simply of their seemingly ordinary life in New Delhi, India. Ramneek, the father, began taking fun family videos while... Rest of WorldAmerican Psychological Association issues recommendations for teen social media useListen to this three-minute podcast to learn more about the American Psychological Association's recommendations for teenagers' use of social media. The first report of its kind, it advises parents to closely monitor teens' social feeds during early adolescence, continually screen for signs of problematic use (such as sleep interference), minimize the amount of dangerous content their child is exposed to (such as disordered eating), and limit their teen's use of social media around appearance-related content. NPRThe role of social media in the digital occupation of PalestinePalestinians are claiming that their content is being deliberately suppressed. According to Palestinian activists and users, social media companies seem to be operating based on a set of double standards. Journalist Eliza Campbell notes that social media companies pay increased attention and place more restrictions on content by Palestinians or about Palestine. To many Palestinians, Israel’s “digital occupation” is nothing more or less than an extension of the “real world” occupation that’s currently happening in the Palestinian territories. This 25-minute episode of Al Jazeera’s Essential Middle East podcast examines whether social media companies aid in Israel’s digital occupation of Palestine. Al Jazeera EnglishTikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms of all timeCentered around user-generated short videos, the platform was created by the Chinese technology company ByteDance Ltd. With over 1.8 billion users, the app has become a global force. AcquiredHow to think about social media amplification of content Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia UniversitySocial media doesn't cause polarization—it intensifies it New York UniversityDuring COVID-19, New Orleanians turned their houses into floatsAfter the 2021 Mardi Gras parades were canceled, New Orleans resident Joy Boudreaux joked on social media that residents should turn their homes into floats. They followed suit and interested (socially distanced) revellers followed maps of participating homes. AP NewsIn 2021, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby came in third place in 'Dancing With The Stars'Rigsby has the largest social media following of any Peloton instructor as of this writing and is reportedly one of the highest-paid instructors. When he competed on the show in 2021, some fans felt like his cult-like following from Peloton kept him on the show, despite not being the strongest dancer. Peloton instructors have built expansive personal brandsOutside of teaching Peloton classes, many instructors have amassed large social media followings and brand deals—ranging from modeling for Puma and Adidas to "Dancing With The Stars" appearances. On top of their influencer work, leading instructors at Peloton—like Cody Rigsby, Emma Lovewell, and Robin Arzón—reportedly earn salaries of more than $500K. TIME'Blackout challenge' can cause brain damage or death in under 5 minutesA social media trend that encourages viewers to asphyxiate themselves until they lose consciousness in the hopes of feeling "high" or euphoric has garnered the interest of teens and adolescents, with dangerous results. Variations of this deadly challenge have been adolescent trends every few years. HealthlineView a history of hashtags through 2013First used on Twitter in August 2007, the social media shorthand gained popularity in October of that year during the San Diego wildfires as a means of coordinating emergency response and disaster relief. Instagram, Google+, Flickr, Facebook, and other social media companies would later integrate hashtags into their platforms. Smart InsightsFacebook dominated US social ad spend in the first half of 2024This data visualization shows the social media platforms where advertisers spent the most money in the first six months of 2024, with Facebook leading the pack taking home 36.3% of US social ad spend. Visual CapitalistThe unavailability bias says what we don't see must not existBefore social media, information was more scarce, and it was the norm not to know much about some controversy or episode. This led to a common prejudice: the availability bias, that what is at hand must be true (in business, the courts, finance, and many fields). With information overload today, the inverse occurs: when something is missing (like the photo of a suspect), it makes us think the suspect does not exist. Behavioral EconomicsAI is not good at understanding satireSocial media has become rife with misinformation. In response, some organizations have deployed AI-assisted programs trying to curb the spread of this inaccurate content. The problem is that misinformation and satire, rhetorically speaking, often use the same kind of language, something AI struggles to understand. Stanford UniversityChildhood memes like '67' existed before the internetKids saying "67" and then erupting in laughter may have been popularized by social media, but childhood rhymes, songs, and jokes that confuse adults have always existed. Iona and Peter Opie studied the phenomena, publishing numerous books on the topic from the 1950s through the 1980s. Atlas ObscuraGen Z eats more Chipotle than other generationsThe brand’s proficiency with social media and relatively low price point make Chipotle a favorite among younger diners. Individual assembly also makes it easy to cater to various diets. The OutcomeExperts don’t believe upbeat tunes, called ‘recession pop,’ are legitimate recession indicatorsSocial media users have begun deeming pop music by the likes of Kesha and Katy Perry a “recession indicator” as they try to predict the next economic downturn. VoxThe Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets is a place to discuss high-risk trading strategiesr/WallStreetBets is a forum (aka a “subreddit”) on the social media platform Reddit that was started in 2012. Later, r/WallStreetBets evolved into a place where unconventional investment approaches were not just tolerated, but planned and celebrated. It’s perhaps most famous for its role in the GameStop saga. EntrepreneurA viral photo of a dress sparked a fierce online debate over its colorsA post showing a dress sparked a heated social media divide, with some insisting it was white and gold and others insisting it was blue and black. The debate quickly spread to celebrities and brought in scientists to explain the optical illusion. BBC NewsBalancing free speech while curbing misinformation has destroyed content moderationAccusations of censorship and bias have led social media companies like Meta and X to scale back or abandon moderation tools—just as foreign propaganda surges. Researchers say their ability to track manipulation online has become severely limited. Columbia Journalism ReviewUnpacking the controversy surrounding race and the OscarsIn 2015, #OscarSoWhite went viral on social media, highlighting the disproportionately low number of nominees of color compared to their white colleagues. Data also shows divisions when it comes to age, gender, and nationality. DatorisIsodope is the world's first nuclear energy influencerIsabelle Boemeke, a Brazilian fashion model and social media personality, began promoting the benefits of nuclear electricity in 2015. She now debunks common objections to it through her TikTok persona Isodope—which has more than 34,000 followers. TEDThe myth of Santa Claus has partially caused a consumption-oriented holiday seasonYahoo pulled together a humorous collection of social media posts from people who seem to have forgotten that the holidays aren’t only about getting presents. The article is a sobering reminder to spend time with loved ones and show gratitude during the special season. YahooThe creator economy, explainedMany brands pay influencers to advertise their products or services on social media. Platforms such as YouTube, Substack, and Twitch also provide revenue-sharing opportunities for their top creators. Known as the creator economy, it's a system driven by individuals who produce online content for audiences that can be monetized. 1440 Daily DigestHere is a visualization of the creator economy as an ecosystemFrom social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, to major advertisers paying influencers to promote their brands, to the consumers watching online content, quite a few engines have to keep firing to make the creator economy run smoothly. Columbia UniversitySince its introduction, the price of bitcoin has experienced significant volatilityDriven in large part by speculation and intense social media attention during the pandemic, along with the availability of capital during near-zero interest rate periods, the price has seen at least three major crashes despite steadily increasing over the long run since 2014. Investopedia