In a bold move to capitalize on the recent controversies surrounding Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has launched Threads, a new social media platform that closely resembles Twitter. Within just a few hours of its release, Threads attracted a staggering 10 million users, indicating a strong initial response.
Developed by Meta’s Instagram team, Threads positions itself as a platform for “sharing text updates and joining public conversations.” With its striking similarity to Twitter and the massive resources of Mark Zuckerberg’s empire behind it, Threads appears well-positioned to challenge Twitter in a way that previous alternatives like Bluesky and Mastodon have not been able to achieve.
Here’s everything you need to know about Threads:
What is Threads?
Threads is primarily designed as a platform for sharing real-time text updates, similar to Twitter. In fact, the resemblance is quite apparent, with Threads adopting a familiar interface, albeit with a different font. Users can create posts of up to 500 characters, including links, photos, and videos of up to five minutes in length.
Posts on Threads appear in a timeline and can be liked, reposted, replied to, and shared elsewhere. However, unlike Twitter, the posts are not displayed chronologically, and there doesn’t seem to be an option to change the order.
Users can follow celebrities, athletes, friends, and other popular figures who have migrated from Instagram to Threads. The platform is available for download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
What sets Threads apart?
One key advantage Threads has over its competitors is its integration with Instagram. Leveraging the existing user base of Instagram, which boasts over two billion accounts, Threads allows users to log in using their Instagram credentials. Usernames and verification carry over from Instagram, making it easier for celebrities, athletes, politicians, news outlets, and brands already active on Instagram to establish a presence on Threads. This integration also means that users are likely to find more familiar faces from Twitter on Threads, making it a livelier platform compared to alternatives like Bluesky and Mastodon.
Has anyone famous joined Threads?
Among the early adopters of Threads are prominent accounts such as Netflix, Star Wars, Gordon Ramsay, Shakira, Zac Efron, Lando Norris, Seth Curry, and Mark Zuckerberg himself. While users may not follow these accounts, their posts could appear as “recommended content” in their feeds.
How does Threads address privacy and safety?
Threads shares privacy and safety features similar to those found on Instagram. Users under the age of 18 will have their profiles set to private by default. Users can control who can reply to or mention them, and they can filter out specific words they prefer not to see in posts. Blocking, restricting, and reporting accounts are available options, and blocking someone on Instagram will automatically block them on Threads as well.
However, Threads has not launched in the European Union due to regulatory concerns regarding data collection. Meta, having faced privacy-related penalties before, including a £1 billion fine for transferring user data from the EU to the US, is likely taking precautions before expanding into the EU market.
Is there anything unique about Threads?
While Threads doesn’t offer many unique features, one interesting aspect is its plan to become compatible with ActivityPub. This open social networking protocol enables interoperability between different platforms, allowing users to transfer content between services. In essence, this means users could eventually migrate their content from other platforms, such as Mastodon, to Threads, or interact with users on different apps regardless of the platform they are actively using. Each platform would still maintain its own moderation policies, providing a decentralized approach to content transfer and interaction.
As Threads continues to evolve, its compatibility with ActivityPub could address a significant concern for users considering switching platforms – the fear of leaving behind years of content and interactions.
