I remember how I first heard about Twitter. It was not through a news article, or an advertisement. Rather, the news came from our beloved discussion topic – Facebook. I logged on one day, early in high school, to an outpouring of Facebook statuses regarding Twitter.

“How dumb – Twitter is just Facebook statuses.”

“Why would I want to stay updated on every second of people’s lives – that’s so narcissistic.” The sentiment in these statuses was mirrored in all of the others. While wording varied slightly, everyone seemed to agree – Twitter was pointless. Why would anyone leave Facebook to make a status? Aside from being able to easily post Facebook statuses, Facebook also had the advantage of connecting users with all of their current friends. Move to Twitter, and you have to reestablish your network.

Had Twitter’s purpose been merely to recreate Facebook status updates on a new platform, it would never have succeeded. The switching cost of creating a new network would have far outweighed any potential appeal. And for a while, it did. At least within my social network. Nobody wanted to try Twitter, and the few adventurous friends of mine who joined immediately branded it as “lame” and “pointless.”

So why the shift? Today, most of my friends have Twitter accounts, and even several of my teachers, family friends, and friend’s parents are online. While I am merely speculating from my own personal experience, I believe this shift arose because Twitter began to create its own niche in the market. People began to view Twitter as a way to keep up to date on news stories, view entertaining commentary, and even participate in conferences (as stated by our very own special guest).

This way, Twitter was able to create a new place for itself. There was no longer a “switching cost” associated with getting a Twitter account – it was now an add-on. As this popular thinking shifted, Twitter gained popularity and users, and it expanded its network (thus adding value, as stated by Metcalfe’s law). Miraculously, it was even able to take over the idea of Facebook statuses. Now, when people post insightful or interesting statuses on Facebook, the common sentiment is that it belongs in a tweet, not on a newsfeed. Looking back a couple years and thinking about what a massive shift this is, I am impressed with how Twitter was able to (perhaps unintentionally) take over one of the social media giant’s features.