What is Threads?

What is Threads?

In early July, Meta launched their Twitter-rival app, Threads. With over one hundred million users signing up for the app since it launched, Threads aims to solve many of the issues raised during Elon Musk’s Twitter ownership, such as the proliferation of transphobic/antisemitic language, misinformation concerns, frequent technical issues, and new verification policies.?

Threads has made it easy for users to make the transition. While other platforms such as Mastodon or Bluesky have attempted to replace Twitter, the fact that Threads integrates seamlessly with an app millions already use has created initial success. Rather than spend significant time rebuilding your audience on a completely new platform, users don’t have to start over on Threads but can instead carry much of their audience over.?

Threads already has some great features that users can take advantage of:?

• The platform automatically integrates with a user’s Instagram account, making it extremely easy to transfer your entire following list from Instagram to Threads.
• Users can post up to 500 characters (more than Twitter’s 280) alongside media such as photos and interactive gifs.?
• Threads mimics Instagram’s layout, with feed, search, activity, and profile tabs that feel familiar and are easy to navigate.?
• Users can easily engage with posts by replying, liking, and resharing.
• Threads has built-in integrations with Instagram, Instagram Stories, and Twitter, allowing users to swiftly share threads to these platforms.?
• Verification badges from Instagram automatically carry over to Threads.
• Notification preferences can be customized to limit the noise – users can choose to completely pause notifications or control what notifications they want to receive.?
• There is an option to limit post replies to profiles you follow or mentioned accounts.?

While Threads holds new exciting digital possibilities, it doesn’t come without its share of limitations. As of today, here are some notable missing features on Threads to keep in mind:?

• Threads does not have hashtags, which makes it difficult to search for specific posts.?
• The platform is mobile-only, which limits access for desktop users.?
• Users cannot generate their own alt text for visual elements, making it fall short of accessibility features.?
• There is no video captioning feature.?
• The app’s content moderation process is still in its early stages.?
• Since Threads is so closely integrated with Instagram, only users with an Instagram account can join.?
• Once activated, a Threads account cannot be permanently deleted without deleting the Instagram account attached. However, you can deactivate your Threads account (hiding the profile, threads, replies, and likes) without affecting your Instagram account.?

It’s likely that Meta will make substantial changes to address some of Threads’ early setbacks, but only time will tell. In the meantime, Meta has already shared its intent to make Threads a part of the fediverse, a network of connected servers, each one operated by a different company. The servers can communicate and users can share content across them, increasing each user’s connectivity online. Meta’s fediverse plans are a promising signal that the tech giant is looking to continue taking online user interactions to the next level.?

Who should join Threads?

For organizations who previously or currently use and love Twitter, Threads looks to provide a more reliable platform to share the same content. While Threads is still in its beginning phase, the audience of journalists, elected officials, and experts who have gone partially silent on Twitter in recent months, such as NPR and LAist, have begun to migrate to the app, providing a new way for organizations to engage with these individuals. We recommend that organizations who are already comfortable with Twitter and have an existing Instagram Account create a Threads presence. There is an enormous amount of momentum on Threads right now, and with millions of users actively building their profiles and following new accounts, now is a great time to tap into this energy.?

For organizations that do not use Twitter but have an active Instagram presence, Threads is a relatively low-stakes platform to test out text-based content. The quick Instagram integration will allow your audience to easily locate your account and content on Threads. The following questions may help you decide if Threads is a good fit for your work:

• Does Threads’ conversational short-form content align with your mission and strategy?
• Does your Instagram audience engage with your content by liking, commenting or sharing??
• Does your audience seem to want additional opportunities to engage with your work?
• Does your team have the capacity for a new form of content creation?

In Conclusion

While Threads is an exciting new platform to explore, it is not without faults. There are still many unanswered questions about how paid media will manifest on the app, when developers will begin to prioritize accessibility though alt-text, whether or not post scheduling will be available, and overall, how Threads will stand the test of longevity.?

Despite the infancy of Threads, we anticipate it to hold promising marketing opportunities for organizations looking to build community, share thought leadership, deepen audience engagement, and strengthen their digital footprint. Since the app is likely to significantly change in the coming weeks and months, organizations should take it slow and not feel rushed to develop a concrete digital strategy for the platform. Now is the perfect time to embrace the fact that Threads is new for everyone, test out content ideas, and start to get a feel for audience engagement.?

For more guidance on establishing your Threads account, check out our How-To article for step-by-step advice!