URL shorteners significantly increased in popularity as Twitter did. There was originally a 140 character limit that became quite squeezed when adding most URLs, especially to blog posts where the title is part of the URL.
Later, adding things like analytics and tracking (eg: not just in social media, but also in email campaigns) became another reason to use them, especially for those less tech inclined.
Later, adding things like analytics and tracking (eg: not just in social media, but also in email campaigns) became another reason to use them, especially for those less tech inclined.