Threads: Everything you need to know about Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Twitter killer’
Meta has just unveiled Threads, the first legitimate competitor to Twitter – Mark Zuckerberg’s attempt to steal away Elon Musk’s newly-bought audience.
Threads appeared out of the blue on the Apple App Store during the week, indicating a launch was imminent but with scant official information. Moments ago, Meta boss Zuckerberg officially welcomed people to Threads, announcing the app is now live.
“Our vision is to take the best parts of Instagram, and create a new experience for text, ideas, and discussing what’s on your mind,” Zuckerberg explained.
“I think the word needs this kind of friendly community, and I’m grateful to all of you who are part of Threads from day one.”
The hurried nature of the release has led some to speculate that the App Store appearance was a mistake, although a clever ‘admit one’ roll-out within Instagram’s search function in the hours before the official launch this morning at least suggests some form of planning was present, scrambled as it may have been.
Meta describes Threads as a “text-based conversation app” to “discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow”, which certainly sounds a lot like Twitter.
Posts will be limited to 500 words, and will allow a picture carousel of up to ten pictures, or video of up to five minutes. You will also be able to crosspost to Instagram, Facebook, Stories, and Reels.
Your feed will contain, at least at first, a blend of recommendations and posts from accounts you follow.
While many have tried to offer up a competitor to Twitter, including the decentralised Mastadon and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky, these were limited in scope, with Bluesky still in invitation-only mode after more than a year.
Where Threads mounts a credible threat to Twitter is through being automatically linked to a user’s Instagram account.
This gives Threads an immediate user base who can hit the ground running by transferring their Instagram following into a Threads audience. No doubt there will also be prompts within Instagram pointing users to Threads, and any Twitter user with a healthy Instagram following will be able to easily coax both audiences to the new platform without having to start over.
This will be vital to the success of Threads.
As the above image shows, the layout is similar in functionality to Twitter, with the appealing design elements of Instagram. It is familiar to audiences of both; also a bonus.
While Twitter seems unchecked, with an owner who touts the value of free speech, Threads makes a point of offering the same controls as Instagram, meaning any hashtags, or users you’ve blocked on Instagram will also carry over to Threads. Users can additionally block who can reply to their messages, or mention their account.
Another clever feature is that soon Threads will be compatible with other Twitter competitors, such as Mastodon, with users on these third-party apps able to search for, follow, and interact with Threads profiles and content.
Compatibility with the open source ActivityPub protocol means that sites such as WordPress and Tumblr will also be able to interact with Threads posts and profiles, while developers will be able to make third-party platforms that work in concert with Threads.
Meta envisions Threads as being part of an interconnected ecosystem of similarly-minded social apps.
“This allows you to reach new audiences with no added work,” Meta points out. It also allows an easy gateway into the Threads universe to users of these other apps who might not yet be willing to get into bed with Meta.
This is important. While Musk has tanked Twitter’s reputation, Zuckerberg and Meta are hardly shining beacons of privacy.
All your Threads are belong to us https://t.co/FfrIcUng5O pic.twitter.com/V7xbMOfINt
— jack (@jack) July 4, 2023
As Jack Dorsey (who has considerable skin in the game, as founder of both Twitter and Bluesky) pointed out, Meta will be requested an inordinate amount of data from users – everything from recent purchases and browser history to your Apple Watch heart monitor – which may be enough to make some squeamish.
Meta has confirmed it will not be adding advertising or attempting to monetise Threads this year, focusing instead on building audience and tweaking the user experience, which may appease some wary users.
Threads has now launched, and its success depends on quick uptake, proof of concept, and whether or not people are tired enough of Twitter to join yet another social media platform.
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Nathan Jolly is the Deputy Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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