What to make of Threads, Meta’s alternative to Twitter?
Well, just 24hrs have passed since Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram launched the new Threads app, and it’s fair to say so far I’m firmly in the fan zone.
Yes, it’s far from perfect (but name me a social media platform that is), and there are a lot of features missing that would significantly enhance the offer (which the developers have already said they’re working on), but first impressions look really positive.
With both Zuckerberg and Instagram’s head of product, Adam Mosseri, already proclaiming 10 million app downloads in just 7 hours, it’s clear people are very interested in a credible alternative to Twitter. And this is exactly what Threads represents.
Focused on public conversations - reflecting instant back-and-forth dialogue using text, rather than photos and video - Threads feels largely like a reincarnation of what Twitter used to be, in the days when real conversations were had there, and before the hate took hold.
For anyone familiar with Twitter, the interface is very familiar. It features a scrollable feed of short-form text and the ability to add individual or carousel photos and videos… just with a nice Instagram-style aesthetic layered on top! It’s very easy-to-use and intuitive as a platform.
So far, the platform is completely linked to Instagram, so much so that it can only be accessed using an Instagram username, which is then used to create your Threads profile. This feels like a stroke of genius from the Meta team and is a great way to boost Insta sign-ups too.
Due to these inseparable ties between Insta and Threads, you also cannot currently delete your Threads profile without deleting your Insta account – another canny move by Meta to reduce drop off after the initial influx of people keen to test it out.
I personally fell out of love with Twitter a while ago, when client accounts started to be repeatedly trolled with disgusting racist abuse simply for posting diverse imagery, and after watching the constantly fluctuating and unpredictable performance of paid ads.
Compared to the unregulated chaos of Twitter, with its ever-changing offer and unfathomable algorithm, Threads on Day One feels like a breath of fresh air. The tone of conversations (that I’ve been a witness to and a part of anyway) have been positive, respectful and supportive.
Rightly or wrongly, it feels like Threads has got more legs than other Twitter alternatives (like Mastodon etc) due to its Meta connection, and there’s certainly a place for an alternative microblogging platform of this nature. (The total domination of Meta and its access to our data is a whole other blog)
The key to Threads’ future, however, and whether people will stick around, is how Meta seeks to moderate the content. If it becomes the free-for-all with no checks and balances that Twitter has become, people will be quick to turn tail.
Reassuringly on this front, Mosseri posted only a few moments ago (at the time of writing) about his team’s focus being on providing something “more friendly and open”… and so far they’re delivering on this.
But for all the Twitter-bashing going on right now in light of this new kid on the block, some credit has to go to Twitter for the simple fact that Threads is largely Twitter reimagined, just without the hate and with a much nicer interface. Twitter was clearly doing something right and fulfilling a purpose, but can Threads use its current early momentum to build a credible new replacement? I think so.
Quick rundown of some key facts:
Threads accounts can only be created from an Instagram account and must retain the same usernames. Users are then able to add a different bios and links to their profiles
Instagram’s community guidelines will be enforced on Threads, and users can report one another for violations
Posts are limited to 500 characters, more than Twitter’s 280
Users can share up to 10 photos in a single post, like on Instagram (and better than Twitter’s 4)
There is currently no paid advertising platform linked to Threads
There is currently no/very limited use of hashtags and no ability to search for specific text or phrases
There is no direct messaging function
Verified Instagram users will take their check marks to Threads
For help devising and implementing your Threads strategy to capitalise on all this new platform has to offer, just get in touch!
