The word twitchfork first began to appear in 2009, and is a blend of twitter, in its new social networking sense, and the noun pitchfork. A pitchfork is a large, fork-like tool, which is used on farms for carrying hay, but could easily be used as a weapon. Historically, angry mobs storming barricades are often depicted carrying torches and wielding pitchforks. By analogy, 21st century protestors reach for computers and mobile phones in order to bombard their targets with verbal weapons.