Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has launched its new app, Threads, aiming to compete with Twitter. Mark Zuckerberg, the chief of Meta, stated that Threads has the potential to attract Twitter users dissatisfied with recent platform changes. The app, which shares similarities with Twitter, allows users to post up to 500 characters and garnered five million sign-ups within its first four hours.
While Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of maintaining a friendly platform for success, Twitter CEO Elon Musk responded with a tongue-in-cheek remark, stating that it’s preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter rather than indulge in the false happiness of Instagram. When asked if Threads could surpass Twitter, Zuckerberg expressed optimism but acknowledged that it would take time to reach a billion-plus user base, which Twitter has yet to achieve.
Critics have raised concerns about the app’s potential data usage, including personal information such as health, financial, and browsing data linked to users’ identities. Meta has described Threads as an “initial version” with planned additional features, including the ability to interact with users on other social media platforms like Mastodon.
Although Threads is a standalone app, users log in using their Instagram accounts, and their Instagram usernames carry over. They can choose to follow the duplicate accounts they do on Instagram and have the option to customize their profile specifically for Threads. The app’s release follows previous criticism of Meta’s business practices, including prioritizing profits over safety and allowing access to users’ data by third parties.
While alternatives to Twitter, such as Bluesky and Mastodon, exist, they have struggled to gain significant traction. Threads, however, holds a considerable advantage due to its connection to Instagram and its already vast user base.
Threads allow users to share posts between Instagram and the app, including links, photos, and videos of up to five minutes in length. Users can control who can mention them and filter out replies containing specific words. Blocking, restricting, and reporting other profiles is possible, and any accounts blocked on Instagram automatically get blocked on Threads.
While the app emphasizes its ties to Instagram, many observers have drawn parallels to Twitter, even describing Threads as a potential “Twitter killer.” Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, has recently limited the number of tweets users can see on his platform, urging users to subscribe to Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service. Twitter has also announced that TweetDeck, its user dashboard, will be behind a paywall soon.
Threads are currently available for download in over 100 countries, including the UK, but not in the EU due to regulatory concerns. Meta is exploring the possibility of launching the app in the EU, considering the regulations outlined in the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which governs data sharing between platforms owned by large companies like Meta.