There’s a revolution occurring right this very moment, and you could be a part of it without even knowing. In fact, this could be one of the most important revolutions ever initiated, but the implications have yet to show their true potential. This technological revolution is changing everything we thought we knew about information and communication. It’s taking established communication and media models and turning them completely upside down. It’s forcing governments and corporations to adapt to this new model, or forever be outdated. And it puts the power entirely in your hands. So what is it? What could possibly be this powerful, and how can you be a part of it? The answer lies in one simple word: Twitter.

Absurd, right? I must be crazy, off my rocker, way out of line to even suggest that a simple (and frequently useless) website such as Twitter could be the first step towards a revolution of such magnitude. I mean, come on, how can it even compare to other revolutions we’ve experienced in our short time on Earth? Where would we be without milestone advances like the agricultural or industrial revolutions? Why would I even propose that something like Twitter is as important as being able to efficiently feed the planet, or mass-produce countless items of importance for use around the world? Well, to put it simply, it can be- once we figure it out, that is.

In order to continue, we need an explanation on what constitutes a revolution. According to dictionary.com, a revolution (among other things) is a “sudden or momentous change in a situation.” From a sociology standpoint, a revolution is “a radical and pervasive change in society and the societal structure.” Given these definitions, a revolution can occur in different fields, such as government, agriculture, industry, media, culture, and even fashion. Simply put, a revolution is something that changes the norm, often drastically, and in effect becomes the norm until another revolution occurs. For example, the invention of the printing press was a revolution in literature, communication, and media. Before the printing press, books and letters had to be handwritten, and copies of books were very limited (as were the number of people who could even read). Those who had access to books were those who could afford it, and most people couldn’t. After the printing press was invented, however, literacy rates shot up around the world, and books could be copied a thousand times over and printed in many different languages. Without the printing press, literacy and education would still be extremely limited and many people would still be illiterate and uneducated. Keep in mind that this is a very general account, and there are obviously many factors at play concerning literacy and education (government, resources, etc.), but my point here is that societies changed when the printing press was invented, and this particular revolution caused an inevitable shift in the way the world worked.

And so it goes for most revolutions we’ve experienced in history. Some, like the printing press, can be peaceful and beneficial for everyone, while others can be violent and politically motivated, like the French Revolution, for example. In any case, if a revolution is successful, it creates a fundamental shift in how people live, usually for the better. And in the case of Twitter, we’re starting to see just how fundamentally it’s changing the world.

Let’s take a look at the history of global communication to get a better understanding of where we’re at currently, and then I’ll discuss how Twitter (and social media) is revolutionizing the current model, and making it better.