META quietly launched Threads last July 5 with a simple invitation to sign up. But in less than 2 hours after its official release it hit 2 million signups and in 24 hours attracted over 30 million users to its platform. As of this writing there are over 100 million subscribers–far exceeding Meta’s expectations which was pegged at 70 million. And it continues to grow.
Threads launched officially as a partner app to Instagram, another Meta platform. Experts however see it very differently. Threads is a threat to Twitter as the latter has lost both its appeal and its credibility ever since Elson Musk took over as CEO.
Online news outlet The Guardian reported that “more than 30 million users are expected to leave Twitter over the next two years” directly as a result of Musk taking over the platform. Twitter, once known as a free and protected space for all, now has become toxic, with the proliferation of offensive content after Musk took over as CEO last October. Subscribers have also complained about Musk’s money-making schemes, charging users $8 monthly to be able to edit Tweets and get verification marks.
The Twitterverse was also up in arms when Musk started downsizing the organization from 8,000 employees globally to just 1,500 after his massive layoff plan to achieve breakeven. The series of moves hurt the social media platform with its top 100 advertisers exiting within days after Musk’s invasion.
As Twitter users watched in is quiet horror as the once mighty platform crumbled in the hands of Musk, Meta was silently preparing for a shakedown.
When Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted his @zuck welcome message, he officially became the first person to register on Threads. His first post on the social platform kicked off the app’s release, opening the floodgates to more than two billion Instagram users who can directly link their accounts to it and new users who may find Threads more appealing due to its newness, the simple black and white feed, and features that let you reply, love, quote and comment on other people’s “threads.”
With its simple black and white feed, and features that let you reply, love, quote and comment on other people’s “threads”, the similarities between Threads and Twitter are obvious.
In a discussion over online technology podcast “Tech Sabado,” Winthrop Yu, Chairman of the Internet Society of the Philippines said that as in all social media platforms, community is the key. “This was particularly successful in Twitter, and while not without its own trolls, bots and online abuse. Twitter thrived on opinion-making and sharing, and it’s ability to block and report inappropriate content made is successful.”
BusinessMirror technology reporter answered the question of do we need another social media app by saying that there seems to be a survival of the fittest mode in this space. “Friendster was taken over by Facebook, before Twitter there were other short-messaging apps like SixDegrees and Plurk, and there was SnapChat before Tiktok. So the question is not if we need a new one, it is what will be the next one.”
In the early days of the Twitter takeover, users created back-up accounts on another socmed platform called Mastodon. This was according to tech experts an escape plan to retain presence in the short messaging space. However Mastodon was clunky to use. Its’ decentralized servers (using several available server locations because of resource limitations) was confusing. Moreover, each community, though interconnected did not have an open space and each one having very different content rules.
As Musk continued to horrify the short messaging space, infecting it with his own personal opinions which in turn fueled hate speech and misinformation. He called the mainstream media many things (as Trump did earlier) and forced “blue check” holders to pay for authentication.
But no platform could replace Twitter, so many users stayed despite their struggles. Journalists enjoyed the brevity of the original 140-character interface, but was thankful for the current 280 count. Whole governments created accounts, politicians spoke directly with their constituents , academics to their students. The public found a place to safely vent grievances and to share information.
Threads offers users the unique advantage of retaining their usernames and seamlessly transferring their Instagram followers. The app’s ability to preserve a sense of community while delivering a Twitter-like experience positions it as a significant contender in the market. It also offers Twitter users who are actively seeking an alternative platform that mirrors its functionality they enjoy while enabling them to quickly connect with “their people.”
It also allows for 500-character posts, and 5-minute long videos, overtaking Twitters 280 characters and 2-minute video limits.
But prospective Threads users may have concerns about transitioning from one platform to another, fearing they may be trading one set of issues for another by joining a Meta app.
Upon careful examination of the terms and conditions, new Threads users should know that their information will be utilized for personalized advertising and other experiences across both platforms. Criticism has arisen due to the fact that deleting a Threads account necessitates the deletion of the corresponding Instagram account.
Upon careful examination of the terms and conditions, new Threads users should know that their information will be utilized for personalized advertising and other experiences across both platforms. Criticism has arisen due to the fact that deleting a Threads account necessitates the deletion of the corresponding Instagram account.
Meta will transition Threads to a decentralized infrastructure in the future. This was described in detail in the “How Threads Works” section. This decentralization allows cross-platform following and interaction, including Mastodon. This approach would permit users to access and engage with Threads content without requiring a Threads account, employing the ActivityPub standard for decentralized interoperability.
It is no doubt that Threads will prosper and at the rate it is growing, and can outrun Twitter’s 300-350 million subscribers in just weeks. Though implementation of its’ timeline is still uncertain, the changes it introduced and the expected impact of this decentralized engagement strategy may flip Twitter from its place.
