Meta introduces Instagram Threads, directly competing with Twitter.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has officially launched Threads, a messaging application that bears a striking resemblance to Twitter.
Positioned as Instagram’s “text-based conversation app,” Threads aims to provide users with a platform for engaging in direct and real-time communication, allowing them to seamlessly connect and share thoughts, ideas, and updates like Twitter’s format of short messages.
By introducing Threads, Meta seeks to tap into the growing demand for instant and streamlined communication while leveraging Instagram’s popularity and user base, thereby intensifying the competition with Twitter and potentially enticing users to adopt this new messaging experience within the Instagram ecosystem.
On Wednesday, Meta’s CEO and co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg, unveiled Threads, Meta’s latest messaging app that strongly emphasises text-based communication. This announcement signifies the official launch of the social networking giant’s new messaging platform.
Threads are Meta’s strategic move to attract users who have migrated from Twitter due to the sometimes unpredictable ownership of Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Meta aims to seize the opportunity presented by this user wave by offering an alternative messaging experience that caters to their preferences and needs.
According to a blog post by Meta, the Threads app is now accessible for free download on Apple App Store and Google Play online store, spanning over 100 countries. Screenshots on Apple’s App Store indicate that Threads embraces a visual aesthetic reminiscent of Twitter.
It functions as a text-based social messaging application where users can publish brief messages that can be liked, shared, and commented upon by others. Interestingly, Threads allows individuals to follow the duplicate accounts they follow on Instagram and engage in public post discussions, akin to Twitter.
Within four hours of its launch, Threads amassed over 5 million sign-ups, per Zuckerberg’s announcement. This official release follows Instagram’s pre-order offering on the Apple App Store, where the app was scheduled to be introduced on July 6.
Additionally, Instagram users have been receiving invitations to access Threads directly through their Instagram accounts. Despite its integration with Instagram, Threads operates as a separate messaging application, necessitating users to download it separately.
However, users can utilize their existing Instagram usernames while using Threads.
According to the description provided by Instagram on the Apple App Store, Threads serves as a platform for communities to converge and engage in discussions covering a wide range of topics.
Threads facilitate direct connections and conversations among users, from current interests to upcoming trends. The app allows individuals to follow their favourite creators and like-minded individuals, fostering the growth of a loyal following where users can express their ideas, opinions, and creativity to a global audience.
In their blog post, Meta explained that users’ feeds within the messaging app would comprise both the “threads” posted by the accounts they follow and recommended content shared by creators who may be unfamiliar to them.
This approach ensures a diverse and dynamic experience for users, where they can explore content from familiar sources and discover new and engaging material.
Threads allow users to publish posts with a maximum length of 500 characters, primarily focusing on text-based content. However, the app also allows for sharing links, photos, and videos that can last up to 5 minutes.
Also, Instagram users can share their Threads posts through the app’s story feature and on other platforms, as mentioned in the blog post.
To foster positive and productive conversations, Meta has incorporated tools within Threads. Users can control who can mention or reply to their posts within the app.
Like Instagram, users can utilize hidden word filters to screen out replies containing specific words. Interactions are made easy by unfollowing, blocking, restricting, or reporting a profile. Notably, any accounts blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads, ensuring consistent privacy and security measures across both platforms.
Threads’ launch coincides with a series of setbacks experienced by Twitter, thereby creating an opportunity for competing apps to fill the void.
Under the ownership of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Twitter has faced a wave of mishaps, making it susceptible to alternative messaging applications.
Musk recently implemented restrictions on Twitter usage, limiting the number of tweets users can see daily to combat data scraping and system manipulation on the platform. This move prompted public complaints from numerous Twitter users who felt the imposed tweet limits diminished the app’s overall engagement.
Capitalizing on the situation, BlueSky, a rival social messaging app supported by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, reported a surge in traffic following Musk’s announcement of the Twitter rate limit. BlueSky even temporarily suspended sign-ups to accommodate the influx of new users, who currently require invitations to access the app.
Like BlueSky, Threads will adopt decentralized technology, enabling users to have greater control and management over their data across various apps that utilize the same underlying software.
While BlueSky utilizes the AT Protocol as its decentralized networking technology, Threads, according to Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, plans to incorporate a different decentralized technology called ActivityPub.
Mosseri mentioned in a Threads post that briefly became public on Wednesday. ActivityPub is also the software behind Mastodon, another Twitter-like messaging app that has witnessed an influx of new users seeking an alternative to Twitter.
Mosseri acknowledged that support for ActivityPub could not be included in Threads’ official release due to complications associated with a decentralized network. However, he reassured users that support for ActivityPub is on the horizon, indicating that it will be incorporated into Threads later.
Adam Mosseri highlighted the importance of decentralization in Threads, stating that it allows users to maintain their audience and prevent being de-platformed if they ever decide to leave the app. By embracing decentralized technology like ActivityPub, users can transfer their audience to another server or platform, fostering openness and portability.
In addition, Meta emphasized that ActivityPub integration enables non-Threads users to access and engage with Threads content through other social apps that adopt the same decentralized technology.
Public profiles on Threads will become accessible on these apps, allowing users to expand their reach and connect with new audiences effortlessly. Users with private profiles will have the option to approve followers and engage with content, similar to the experience on Instagram.
Meta views Threads as their first app designed to be compatible with an open social networking protocol, envisioning a future of diverse and interconnected networks.
It’s worth noting that Meta had previously launched a different version of Threads in 2019, focused on short video and photo messages similar to Snapchat. However, this previous iteration was discontinued in 2021, with users redirected to use Instagram to access their previous Threads messages.
