( CNN ) -- A phone hacking scandal may have cost Rupert Murdoch his biggest-selling newspaper in 2011 , but the billionaire media mogul managed to end the year with a modest addition to his empire -- an account on Twitter . Within 48 hours of debuting with tweets about family , work and politics , Murdoch had pulled in more than 45,000 followers and stirred internet debate over why the 80-year-old was now embracing a technology often used to attack him . The tweets also raised doubts that the notorious technophobe was writing the messages himself . Twitter creator Jack Dorsey -- one of only four people being followed by Murdoch -- however insisted that the media mogul was writing `` with his own voice , in his own way . '' Murdoch appears to have made his Twitter debut on New Year 's Eve with a couple of brief comments on books including the biography of late Apple boss Steve Jobs , which he called `` interesting but unfair . '' These were followed by praise for cinema releases `` We Bought a Zoo , '' and `` The Descendants , '' both produced by Murdoch 's Fox Movies . These fueled suspicions that Murdoch 's Twitter account was being used as a publicity tool to help improve his image after a damaging year . `` Could be brilliant News Corp PR operation , '' Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff tweeted after earlier commenting : `` Might be somebody who knows Murdoch , but it 's not Rupert ( he does n't use a computer unassisted nor get his own email ) . '' Others claimed that the voice of the tweets , as well as their faltering grammar and punctuation , were unmistakably Murdoch . `` You can tell by the tweets he 's doing it himself , '' wrote CNN 's Piers Morgan , a former editor of one of Murdoch 's newspapers . A spokesperson for Murdoch 's News Corp. confirmed to CNN the account is genuine . The account could offer new insight into a businessman whose life has been under intense scrutiny this year after revelations that journalists at News of the World , one of his most profitable newspapers , illegally accessed the voicemail messages of scores of celebrities and public figures . Twitter played a prominent role at the height of the scandal when it was used to pressure advertisers into boycotting the paper . Commentators said the loss of revenue was a key factor in Murdoch 's decision to shut the paper down . Murdoch 's subsequent appearance before a British parliamentary inquiry into phone hacking also caused a sensation on Twitter , particularly after his wife , Wendi Deng , pounced on a man who tried to attack him with a foam pie . There were echoes of Murdoch 's parliamentary appearance -- which he called the `` most humble day day of my life '' -- in New Year pledges which he tweeted in a January 1 message to Dorsey . `` My resolutions , try to maintain humility and always curiosity . And of course diet ! '' But there were also signs that the media mogul was still getting to grips with social media . Reports suggested he was forced to quickly delete one post -- possibly after Deng leapt to his aid once again . The Sydney Morning Herald -- a fierce rival of his Australian publications -- was among news outlets claiming that Murdoch was guilty of `` tweeting-before-thinking '' for suggesting that the British have too many holidays for a `` broke country . '' The message was apparently removed , but not before someone tweeting as Wendi Deng implored : `` RUPERT ! ! ! delete tweet ! '' A further post on the unverified Deng account later added : `` EVERY1 @ rupertmurdoch was only having a joke pROMSIE ! ! ! '' [ sic ] . Murdoch also follows an account that appears on the surface to be Google CEO Larry Page but is actually run by a man in Virginia . It 's not clear whether Murdoch realizes he 's not following the real Larry Page . Among other tweets by Murdoch , who also follows Zynga CEO Mark Pincus and Silcon Valley entrepreneur and British businessman Alan Sugar , were an expression of support for Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum .
Murdoch has notched up one followers after joining Twitter . Rupert Murdoch 's tweets so far focus on family , politics and cinema releases . 80-year-old 's social media appearance called a PR stunt by some . CNN official confirms to News Corp. that account is genuine .