Written by DeAnna Britton, Relate Contributing Writer

While most American teens have heard of Twitter and many even have their own account, there is an international importance to the micro-blogging site. Twitter was officially founded in 2007, but the prototype was started in 2006. The site was based on Jack Dorsey’s idea of being able to know what his friends were doing at any given point. He expanded on his idea and pitched it to his colleagues who then launched the test run of Twitter in March 2006.

(Photos by twitter.com)

Since then, Twitter’s popularity has grown enormously. The reason being is that Twitter is simple. You only have 140 characters to address what you are currently doing. This makes the writer get straight to the point. This is also effective in helping people stay connected. Twitter is spread internationally, having more than 6 million users worldwide, and lets you follow anyone, any company or organization you want.

Although this is primarily a social networking site, Twitter has found its way into distributing news to people all around the world, too. A year ago, when a Turkish plane crashed at an airport in Amsterdam, people were informed of the crash via Twitter before crews on planes at the same airport were notified. The only problem is that the news that is sent through Twitter can sometimes be misleading or some posts may not have all the details. BBC defined it as, “Twitter is like an incredibly fast, but not entirely reliable, news desk.” And still other news you can’t trust at all until confirmed by a reputable news site.

The plane crash at Amsterdam wasn’t the only world news that was posted on Twitter before news stations were able to cover them. In November of 2009, people who witnessed the terrorist attacks in Mumbai tweeted their stories about what they witnessed which gave people around the world more insight as to what really happened in Mumbai. The “Miracle on the Hudson” was another occurrence where Twitter was used to spread the news story and details of what people saw and knew. Janis Krums took a photo of the plane landing in the Hudson with his iPhone and then posted it on Twitter. This photo was used by Press agencies.

Another instance is when Israel stormed Gaza in December- politicians and members of the Gaza Strip took part in a discussion via Twitter. This also helped spread information about Israel’s point of view and people were able to have debates or ask questions about the events thanks to Twitter.

Many people may not see the importance in social networks such as Twitter other than stalking Lady Gaga or Britney Spears’ whereabouts and what they’re doing. The world is expanding in the field of communication. It’s important for our generation to learn how to use this power for a purpose. Spark meaningful debates, raise awareness for something you believe in. Get involved, get connected; the world is waiting.

Do you prefer Twitter to your Facebook or MySpace account? Comment below!

Tags: blogging, global awareness, micro-blogging, Miracle on the Hudson, news on social media, Twitter