Twitter, you will be missed. You had a good life; you outlasted many other social networks from your childhood days. Yet it really was your time. You could feel it, and so could everyone else. First of all, your growth slowed significantly. People just weren’t flocking to you the same way you did when you were younger. Then people started abandoning you. While you played with gimmicks to try to stimulate that growth,  75% of your users disliked what they experienced and left you there with only your closest followers. Those who stayed were of an unsustainable demographic – 55-64 year old “laggards” on the product adoption curve who thought that in 2013 you were the newest fad. The lively and engaging younger users turned their attention to newer, shinier networks like YikYak, Instagram, Pinterest, and SnapChat. You had failed to provide the localized, image-focused network that they were craving, and thus your world began to crumble.

Twitter, I know you aren’t gone yet. Knowing you, you won’t go down without a fight. Yet it’s going to take more than just some kicking and screaming to turn this around. It would take a miracle and some very creative innovation to regain that younger generation and breathe life into your network once more. At this point, however, I just don’t see it happening – and so I’ll keep this eulogy in my files right next to MySpace, Plurk, Google+, and Friendster until that day comes.

RIP, Twitter. Some retirees might miss you.