Threads: A New Social Media App by Meta

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has recently launched a new app called Threads, which aims to compete with Twitter in the realm of text-based social media. Threads is a standalone app that requires users to have an Instagram account to sign up, and allows them to create posts of up to 500 characters, and share links, photos, and videos of up to five minutes in length. Users can also easily share their Threads posts to their Instagram stories, or as links on other platforms.

Threads is designed to be a platform for conversation, where users can engage with each other in real-time, like, repost, reply to or quote other posts, and see the number of likes and replies that each post has received. Users can also control who can mention them, filter out replies with certain words, and block, restrict or report other profiles. Any accounts that users block on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads as well.

Threads has been described as a "Twitter killer" by some media outlets, as it offers a similar microblogging experience with some added features and advantages. For example, Threads has a higher character limit than Twitter's 280 characters, and allows users to share up to 10 photos in a single post, compared to Twitter's limit of four images. Threads also does not use hashtags or have a feature that allows users to search for specific text or phrases, which may appeal to some users who prefer a simpler and less cluttered interface.

Threads also has the benefit of being compatible with Instagram, which has more than 1.21 billion active users, according to Statista. This means that Threads can potentially tap into Instagram's existing user base and attract them to the new app with minimal friction. Users can import their bio, username, and followers from their Instagram account, and follow the same accounts they do on Instagram on Threads. Threads also has a number of celebrity backers such as Shakira, Gordon Ramsay, Oprah Winfrey, and the Dalai Lama, who have already joined the app and posted their first threads.

However, Threads also faces some challenges and criticisms from users and rivals. Some users have complained about the lack of chronological timelines, limited search functionality, and the inability to create group chats or direct messages within the app itself. Some rivals have also questioned Meta's track record on data privacy and content moderation, given its history of scandals and controversies involving Facebook and Instagram. Meta has said that it will apply the same community standards and policies to Threads as it does to Instagram.

Threads is currently available in over 100 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan, but not yet in the European Union due to regulatory concerns. Meta says that it plans to add more features to Threads in the future, including the ability to interact with people on some other social media apps like Mastodon, which uses a technology called ActivityPub that allows social networks to be interoperable.

Threads is an ambitious attempt by Meta to diversify its social media offerings and challenge Twitter's dominance in the text-based space. Whether it will succeed or not remains to be seen, but it is clear that Threads is not just another clone of Twitter, but rather a new take on social media that leverages Meta's existing strengths and resources.