Meta's Threads App: Challenging Twitter in its Debut
By RS
July 06, 2023
Threads, the new microblogging app by Meta, logs a remarkable five million sign-ups in its first few hours of operation. The debut shows potential as a strong challenger to Twitter.
Impressive Debut: Five Million Sign-Ups within Hours
Users can log in to Threads using their Instagram accounts, fostering seamless integration between the two platforms. Threads visually resembles Twitter, with minor wording changes such as "reposts" for retweets and "threads" for tweets.
Instagram Integration and Familiarity
Threads allows for posts of up to 500 characters, surpassing Twitter's limit of 280 characters. Users can also share videos of up to five minutes in length, expanding the possibilities for creative expression.
Enhanced Features and Longer Posts
Users have control over their interactions on Threads, including the ability to unfollow, block, restrict, or report others. The platform offers filtering options to exclude replies containing specific words, enhancing user safety and moderation.
Positive User Controls and Filtering Options
Threads' launch coincides with a turbulent period for Twitter, marked by tweet viewing limits and data harvesting concerns. Meta aims to capitalize on Twitter's challenges and provide an alternative space for public conversations.
Threads' launch coincides with a turbulent period for Twitter, marked by tweet viewing limits and data harvesting concerns. Meta aims to capitalize on Twitter's challenges and provide an alternative space for public conversations.
Threads Launches Amidst Twitter Turmoil
Threads Launches Amidst Twitter Turmoil
Reactions to Threads' debut range from cautious to enthusiastic, with praises for its user-friendly interface and concerns for Twitter's future. The app's integration with Instagram highlights Meta's growing influence in the social media landscape.
Reaction and Potential Impact
Meta plans to make Threads compatible with ActivityPub, fostering interoperability with other social networks like Mastodon. This compatibility enables users to transfer their accounts and followers to other ActivityPub-supported apps, fostering diverse and interconnected networks.
Interoperability and Future Plans
In response to concerns about child safety, Meta defaults Threads users under 18 in the UK to private profiles. Meta aims to address safety concerns and prevent unauthorized access to young users' profiles.