False shutdown rumor fuels #SaveTwitter frenzy

Tweets regarding Twitter's pending demise are greatly exaggerated.Despite a rumor to the contrary, the global one-to-many messaging service on Thursday had no plans to shut down any time in the foreseeable future due to the bane of cyber bullying.

Twitter assured AFP that there is no truth at all to the gossip.

Twitter's own platform was being used as a springboard for the rumor, along with missives poking fun at the angst sparked by the idea of a tweetless world.

The commentary took flight with a hashtag of #SaveTwitter.

"People who believe Twitter will shut down in 2017 are the same people who thought the world would end in 2012," read a message fired off from the account of @ChocMilkSheikh.

The barrage of tweets included outrage over the notion of killing Twitter because of cyber bullies. There were also pictures and looped video snippets of mayhem, misery and confusion.

Twitter's future nonetheless has been the subject of speculation because of its relatively slow growth and persistent losses, and its inability to control abuse on the platform.

Some users mockingly marveled at the notion that many stripped of Twitter might actually need to engage the world around them for news or social interaction.

"If Twitter shuts down we will all have to actually do something with our lives," read a tweet from the account of @ColleensAnatomy.