Twitter has been the dominant platform for short-form content and real-time conversations for over a decade. But now, it faces a new challenger: Threads, the text-based app launched by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Threads aims to offer users a friendly, option and engaging space to share their thoughts, ideas and opinions, while also integrating with Instagram’s features and community.?
- Threads is a text-based conversation app that allows users to post short messages, photos and videos, and engage in real-time discussions with people they follow on Instagram or Threads. ??
- Threads has a 500-character limit for posts, which is more than Twitter’s 280-character limit, and allows users to share links, photos and videos up to 5 minutes long.??
- Threads is linked to Instagram, so users can sign in with their existing credentials, keep their username, followers and verification status, and share their Threads posts to their Instagram stories.??
- Threads offers users more control over who can see their posts, who can mention or reply to them, and what words they want to filter from their feed. Users can also report, block or restrict other profiles. ?
- Threads has received a huge response from users, celebrities, brands and media outlets since its launch on Wednesday. ?Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the app had 30 million sign-ups as of Thursday morning.??
- Threads could also pose a serious threat to Twitter, which has faced backlash since Elon Musk took over the platform in October 2022 and has run it with a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach.??
- Twitter has also angered users over a temporary limit on how much content users can view each day, which could drive them to look for alternatives such as Threads.
- Threads could further expand Meta’s empire of popular apps and provide a new platform on which to sell ads.?Meta said it will start testing ads on Threads in the coming months.
- Threads could also benefit from Meta’s expertise in developing and maintaining social media platforms, as well as its resources and reach.?Meta said it will enforce Instagram’s community guidelines on Threads and provide tools to keep users safe.
- Threads could appeal to users who are looking for a friendly, option and text-based public space for conversation, as Zuckerberg said in his first post on the app.
- Threads and Twitter are both popular and powerful platforms for text-based content and conversations. They have their own strengths and weaknesses, and appeal to different types of users and audiences. While Twitter has a larger and more established user base, Threads has a faster and more impressive growth rate, as well as a strong connection to Instagram. The future of social media is uncertain, but one thing is clear: Threads and Twitter will continue to compete and innovate, and users will have more options and opportunities to express themselves online.
