Twitter hits 20 billion tweet mark

Twitter has passed a notable milestone after a Japanese graphic designer posted the 20 billionth tweet.

The message was sent over the weekend and was posted by a member going by the name of GGGGGGo_Lets_Go.

Although the message was written in Japanese, the widely reported English translation reads: "So that means the barrage might come back later all at once."

After realising he had helped Twitter pass the 20 billion mark, the tweeter was inundated with congratulatory messages.

"Looks like I posted the 20 billionth tweet. I'm getting replies from people all over the world. It's scary. What are the chances? Maybe I'm going to die," GGGGGGo_Lets_Go, a self-confessed fan of Pete Townsend and baseball, added later.

The 10 billionth tweet was only posted in March this year, and that milestone was passed less than half a year after the micro-blogging sensation hit the five billion mark.

Last month, founder Biz Stone claimed Twitter delivered 800 million search results a day and this figure was only set to grow.

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.