Twitter usage by public figures

As with many other social networking websites, usage by public figures attracts more people to Twitter, thereby increasing opportunities for advertising.

[1] Introduced in June 2009, the Twitter verification system provides the site's readers with a means to distinguish genuine account holders from impostors or parodies.

Twitter explained that the volume of requests for verified accounts had exceeded its ability to cope; rather, nowadays, Twitter determines on its own whom to approach about verified accounts, limiting verification to "highly sought after users," "business partners," and "individuals at high risk of impersonation.

However, for celebrity users, Twitter has proven to be a double-edged sword: in addition to the laudatory comments from fans, celebrities may receive hostile attacks from anonymous people; thus, fan goodwill and even career opportunities can be lost through tweets.

[8] Musicians have found Twitter to be a very promising place for self-promotion, engaging with fans, and gaining new supporters.

Fans can react to this by liking or responding to the tweet, and that will subsequently lead to more interaction between the artist and their followers.

[13] The type of communication by U.S. politicians on Twitter varies from highly personal to press release like.

[18] On the state level, American politicians tend to use Twitter primarily for constituent and policy-related issues.

[21] The Australian Labor Party's politicians have used Twitter to attack their opposition,[22] with someone creating a parody account featuring Tony Abbott.

[24] Chilean politicians are using Twitter as an alternative method of communications as they find the mainstream press not giving them media coverage.

[26] Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has used Twitter to help change his image and make himself more personable.

[27] Since this time, the account @Pontifex has amassed over 17.9 million followers (as of March 2019) and regularly engages with users via the hashtag #AskPontifex addressing religious matters and responding to questions.