Threads! This is getting silly ??

I have so many questions and so many thoughts which I'll try and summarise.

Instagram and Mark Zuckerberg have a history of attempting to steal market share and more importantly core features of rival apps.

They started by introducing Stories to rival Snapchat.

This was followed by Reels to attack YouTube/TikTok.

And now we have Threads to attempt a take down of Twitter.

What's different this time is that Threads gets its own app, away from the Instagram user experience. Although the only way you can sign up is through your Instagram account. And once signed up you'll see a Threads number in your Instagram profile to let your followers know you're on Threads.

So why the standalone app if it's so tightly integrated with Instagram?

Firstly, I'd suggest the network effect has a big say. The app has been live less than 24 hours and by the time I went to sign up I was already user 10,581,847 ??. By linking with Instagram half the groundwork any new app will face is already done. For perspective, Truth Social, the social network launched by Donald Trump received just under 1 million downloads on its launch day, with total app downloads WAY below the 10 million mark. Trying to get people to join a new network is one of the hardest tasks and Instagram has done a number on us by essentially signing everyone up for Threads without even asking us. (Not going to question the legal side of this).

Secondly, Threads is a completely different experience and behaviour. This is text > visuals. Instagram have specifically said Threads is "for sharing text updates and joining public conversations." But the app lets you attach images and videos to your Threads and so far it's looking very similar to Twitter. The problem here is there is nothing unique. Brands are already jumping on Threads and just posting exactly what they posted on Twitter or on Instagram. Because for the majority of brands or people this is how they use these networks. I don't see much unique content creation per network anymore. Threads has the potential to just create more workload for social media agencies and managers. Another channel to manage, to respond to, to maintain brand presence.

Is there anything interesting here?

Threads will supposedly become interoperable with other apps such as Wordpress, the content management system that manages a whole bunch of websites you visit or even your own company website. If it can connect successfully to your website there could be long term benefits for being able to post your content seamlessly across Threads and Web as there is definitely a disparity between technologies for social and web that's never been solved. I wonder whether Google will take Threads seriously and update its algorithm to support Threads content for SEO?

And so far there's no advertising on the app yet. It would be nice to think the app will survive without showing advertising in the feed, but I'm guessing Meta Ads Manager will add Threads into the myriad of placements already available to advertisers. This poses questions for Paid Media managers - Will brands want their ads on this platform, what choice will they be given in the end?

Will it survive?

To put simply, yes. Will it be a success? I don't think so, but interested to be proven wrong. If I go back to the other features of Instagram that Zuckerberg has stolen from other apps I think these haven't really become a sucess...

Snapchat currently has 383 million daily active users! The demographic who want to be on there have stayed and are using it. Instagram Stories is still an add on feature that I think most people don't care about, and if anything has contributed negatively to peoples mental health.

TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users! I think people are enjoying being away from the Instagram app and having a platform where they can be more expressive. Instagram Reels mainly just reposts TikTok's.

And Twitter, for all the controversies, is still being used. Yes, brands and people are coming away from it, but I think any talk of this is over hyped by the media. Threads is missing the best bits of Twitter in my opinion, the news, the hashtags, the trends. And people have spent years building up their network on Twitter, it won't suddenly move.

What's next?

I'm not really sure where Instagram goes with this.

Does the world need another social network? No.

Who's been asking for a Twitter replacement? Nobody.

What are we expected to do? "Actually I won't tweet this, I'll thread it".