X (social network)

Overview

X, formerly known as Twitter, is an American microblogging and social networking service based in Bastrop, Texas. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, images, and videos, and can also like other users' content. The platform offers features like direct messaging, video and audio calling, and a social audio feature called X Spaces.

History

X was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams, and launched that July. It grew quickly, reaching over 100 million users by 2012. Originally, posts were limited to 140 characters, but this was later increased to 280 characters and then removed for subscribed accounts in 2023.

Ownership

The platform is now owned by xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, following several changes in ownership. Linda Yaccarino served as CEO until July 2025, and in February 2026, xAI was acquired by SpaceX.

Despite its popularity, the platform has faced criticism for issues such as the spread of disinformation and hate speech.

History

Main article: History of Twitter

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of X (social network).

In 2006, Jack Dorsey thought of using text messages to share quick updates with friends. The early version was called Twttr. Later, the team bought the name Twitter and launched it in July 2006.

Twitter grew fast, especially after the 2007 South by Southwest conference. By 2010, millions of people were sending tweets each day. Over time, Twitter added new features like photos and videos. In 2021, Twitter introduced new designs, and in 2022, it was acquired by Elon Musk.

Appearance and features

Posts on this social network, often called "tweets," are usually visible to everyone but can be limited to just the people who follow you. Users can post from the website, apps, or text messages. People can follow others and see their posts, and they can share others' posts with their own followers. Users can also add comments to posts they like.

Users can update their profiles using phones and can add words or symbols called "hashtags" to group posts together. The site also lets users add pictures, videos, and live streams. There are special features for talking with groups of people and for sharing news and trends. The site has mobile apps and offers special features for people who pay for a subscription.

Usage

Main article: Twitter usage

People use X, which used to be called Twitter, in many ways. The number of people using it each day changes often because the company doesn’t always share these numbers. In February 2009, one report said it was the third most popular social network. By April 2017, it was listed as the tenth most popular. By March 2023, about 500 million people used it each month, growing to 600 million by May 2024.

Demographics

See also: Black Twitter

In 2009, Twitter was mostly used by older adults who hadn’t used many other social sites before. Only about 11% of users were between 12 and 17 years old. Women made up a bit more of the users than men. Most users were under 35, and many were Caucasian, though there were also higher numbers of African American and Hispanic users compared to other internet sites at the time.

Twitter kept growing. By September 2011, it had 100 million users each month, and by early 2019, over 330 million. In 2013, more than 100 million people used Twitter every day, and about 500 million messages, called tweets, were sent each day. A study in 2016 found that 24% of all adult internet users in the U.S. used Twitter. It was especially popular with younger people aged 18 to 29. By 2019, the typical Twitter user in the U.S. was 40 years old.

Content

Researchers in San Antonio looked at messages and found that most were just sharing thoughts, while many were chatting with others. Some shared useful information, a few showed off, and a small number were spam or news.

Levels of use and class action lawsuit

Research showed that many accounts on Twitter had never sent a message. In 2016, some shareholders sued Twitter, saying the company had given a false picture of how many people were really using it. In September 2021, Twitter agreed to pay a large amount of money to end this lawsuit.

Decline on mobile devices

As of 2026^[update], fewer people have been using X on phones and tablets. Meanwhile, a rival network called Threads has been getting more users on mobile devices. By January 2026, Threads had as many mobile users as X. However, X still has more users on computers than on mobile devices.

Branding

Before it became X, Twitter had a bird logo called the Twitter Bird. The first logo from 2006 just said "Twitter" and showed a bird. Over time, the bird logo changed a few times, getting simpler each time. In July 2023, the service was renamed to X. The new logo looks like the letter "X" in a bold style. Some people liked the old bird logo better, but the company decided to change it.

Finances

Revenue sources

In 2010, the social network started letting companies pay to show ads. These ads looked like regular ads on other websites. Users' photos could also help the company earn money. By 2011, the site made about $139.5 million from ads.

Later, small businesses could also buy ads. In 2012, more users could see these ads, and by 2013, all users in the U.S. could use them. In 2016, people could earn rewards by tweeting about brands.

Advertising bans

In 2017, the site stopped some Russian media from advertising after reports about election interference. In 2019, it stopped all political ads because some ads had false claims. This changed in 2023, but with strict rules against false information.

In 2022, the site banned ads that spread false information about climate change.

Coerced advertising

In 2025, reports said some companies agreed to advertise after facing legal threats from the site's leaders.

Fines

The site has been fined for not following rules. In 2022, it was fined $150 million for using users' contact details for ads. In 2025, it was fined €120 million by European authorities for not following certain laws. Shortly after, the site stopped the European Commission from advertising.

Technology

X uses many tools and programs to work. In the early days, it used a programming language called Ruby and stored messages in databases called MySQL. Later, X switched to using Scala, which helped it handle more messages faster.

X also offers ways for other programs to connect with it. This helps developers build new features and apps. Over time, X changed some rules for developers, which made it harder for some to keep their tools working.

In 2023, X shared some of its inner workings with the public, aiming to be more open. The way X shows information to users has changed several times, trying to make it easier to read and use on different devices.

X has faced security problems, like times when accounts were used to send unwanted messages. X works to keep user information safe and has added steps to prevent unauthorized access.

When X sometimes stops working, users see a message asking them to try again later.

User accounts

Verified accounts

Main article: Blue check

In 2009, Twitter started a program for "Verified Accounts" after some people made fake accounts. A blue check shows that Twitter talked to the person or group and they approved it. In 2016, Twitter said anyone could apply to get verified if they were famous enough.

In 2022, after a new leader took over, verification became part of a paid service. Some special accounts, like government ones, still got a different check.

Privacy

People can share public messages or private messages called "direct messages". You can see who follows you and who you follow, but you can make your account "protected" to keep this private. Twitter collects information about users and may share it with others as stated in their rules. Ads can target users based on what they share.

Harassment

In 2013, Twitter added a way to report bad behavior after some people got nasty messages. In 2014, they made new rules to block and report abuse. In 2016, they started a group to help keep the site safe. In 2020, they banned many accounts linked to a harmful group and later added a "Safety Mode" to stop unwanted messages.

Suspect and contested accounts

Twitter has dealt with accounts used for harmful purposes. In 2016, they were sued for allowing a group to use the site, but the case was dismissed. They have banned many accounts for promoting harmful ideas and have worked to stop misinformation from countries trying to influence others.

Malicious and fake accounts

Twitter has closed many fake accounts used to spread false information or influence elections. In 2017, they closed accounts from Iran, and in 2019, they found accounts from Saudi Arabia. They continue to work on identifying and removing these accounts.

Bot accounts

Main article: Bots on X

Bots are computer programs that can post messages automatically. Some bots are helpful, but others can spread false information or make it seem like more people support something than really do. Twitter has many fake accounts, but they work to find and remove them.

Society

Usage

Twitter has been used for many different purposes. It helped organize protests, like the protests over the 2009 Moldovan election and the 2011 Occupy movement in the United States.

People also used Twitter to show support or protest against certain events or laws.

Governments

Documents shared by Edward Snowden showed that the United Kingdom had tools to monitor messages on Twitter.

During the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Twitter removed fake accounts that were trying to spread false information.

In June 2020, Twitter removed fake accounts from Turkey. Turkey sometimes blocked Twitter to stop people from sharing certain messages.

In May 2021, Twitter labeled a tweet from a spokesman of India’s ruling party as false information. This led to Twitter’s offices in India being visited by police.

In 2025, Twitter took legal action against the Indian government for trying to block messages on the platform.

The United States used fake social media accounts on Twitter to spread false information about a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine. This targeted people in the Philippines.

Impact

Emergency use

Twitter’s quick updates can help share important news fast, like during earthquakes. It’s also being studied to see if it can help track how diseases spread.

Education

Twitter is used in schools and universities to help students talk with each other and their teachers. It can make learning more fun and help shy students join in class discussions. Teachers use special words called hashtags to talk about certain subjects.

Public figures

Many famous people have used Twitter to share their thoughts. Twitter has changed how news is shared because of its quick updates. This can sometimes make it hard to know what information is true.

World leaders

Many world leaders use Twitter to talk to other countries and their own people. For example, the US Ambassador to Russia was one of the first to use Twitter for international talks. Queen Elizabeth II also sent her first tweet in 2014. By 2025, the pope’s Twitter account had many followers.

Censorship and moderation

Twitter is not allowed in some countries like Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea. It has also been blocked at times in other countries like Egypt and Turkey.

Twitter has removed accounts that were spreading false information, especially during elections.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter started labeling messages that had false medical information.

Community Notes

In 2020, Twitter started a program called Community Notes to help correct false information. People could add notes to messages to explain why they might be misleading.

Court cases, lawsuits, and adjudication

Twitter has faced several legal cases over the years. In 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided that Twitter and other social media companies are not responsible for messages posted by users.

In 2021, Twitter agreed to pay money to settle a lawsuit about misleading investors. In 2022, Twitter paid money to settle a case about using users’ personal information for ads.

In November 2023, Twitter sued a media watchdog group. In August 2024, Twitter filed a lawsuit against several big companies. Later that same month, a court in Brazil temporarily blocked Twitter, but it resumed operations after following court orders.

Criticism

Main article: Criticism of X (social network)

Since it changed its name to X, the social network has had many problems. There has been more false information and hurtful words. Some groups feel X is not doing enough to stop these issues.

Experts think X should be more open about how it works, especially during important votes. They believe the system sometimes only shows content from a few popular accounts.

In July 2025, there was some upset when the tool Grok made hurtful comments about a group of people during talks about floods in Texas. Grok later removed those comments and said they were wrong. This happened after some updates were made to Grok.

Statistics

User accounts with large follower base

Main article: List of most-followed X accounts

As of May 2025, the ten X accounts with the most followers were:

Record tweets

Main articles: List of most-retweeted tweets and List of most-liked tweets

The "Oscar Selfie" shared by Ellen DeGeneres during a TV show in 2014 was one of the most shared messages ever. Many famous people were in the picture, and it was shared a lot. Later, other posts were shared even more times.

Many people talked about a TV show in 2015, and a big sports game in 2014 was also very popular on the site.

Actor Robert Downey Jr. got a million followers very quickly in 2014.