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Meta has finally launched its new competitor to Twitter, presenting it as a “friendly” alternative to Elon Musk’s struggling social media platform. Named Threads, the app is designed for text-based conversations and allows users to publish posts of up to 500 characters. Users can include links, photos, and videos in their posts, and other users can reply to, like, or share them, similar to Twitter.
Shortly after its launch, Threads gained 10 million users within the first seven hours, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who welcomed users to the app earlier.
Threads is directly linked to Meta’s widely used photo-sharing platform, Instagram, with over 2 billion users. The app is being rolled out in more than 100 countries for iOS and Android devices.
This launch, often referred to as the “Twitter killer,” poses a direct threat to Musk’s platform. Since Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion in October, the platform has faced numerous crises, frustrating users and advertisers and experiencing financial difficulties.
In an earlier post, Zuckerberg presented Threads as a more wholesome alternative to Twitter, emphasizing its friendly nature and potential for success. He believes that Twitter’s failure was due in part to its lack of friendliness.
Meta has faced criticism in the past for not properly moderating its Instagram and Facebook platforms. However, the company has made efforts to address these concerns by implementing stricter policies and investing in increased moderation. In contrast, Musk has relaxed Twitter’s moderation approach, leading to advertiser backlash and a significant decrease in annual revenues.
Some Twitter users have been actively seeking alternatives to the platform due to Musk’s moderation style and the introduction of a premium service with previously free features at a cost of $8 per month.
Musk’s recent decision to limit the number of posts users can view has further frustrated Twitter users, as he claimed it was an attempt to combat data scraping and system manipulation.
Despite various attempts, rival platforms such as Donald Trump’s Truth Social, Jack Dorsey’s Bluesky, and Mastodon have struggled to gain significant user communities.
Meta is well-known for cloning features from competing platforms in its pursuit of growth. It previously created “Instagram Stories,” a direct copy of vertical video clips popularized by Snap. More recently, Meta introduced Reels, a short-form video format similar to TikTok, owned by ByteDance.
However, Threads sets itself apart by leveraging Instagram’s existing user base. Users can easily transition their usernames and followers from Instagram to Threads, instantly establishing a network.
Unfortunately, Threads will not initially be launched in the EU, Meta’s second-largest market, due to uncertainties surrounding new regulations in the region.
The launch of Threads intensifies the rivalry between two prominent Silicon Valley billionaires. Musk recently challenged Zuckerberg to a “cage match” on his platform, to which Zuckerberg seemingly accepted. However, it remains uncertain if and when the contest will take place.
Meta plans for Threads to be compatible with ActivityPub, an open social networking protocol established by the World Wide Web Consortium. This means that in the future, users will be able to transfer their followings and content from Threads to other apps built on the ActivityPub protocol, including Mastodon and WordPress.
“Threads is Meta’s first app designed to be compatible with an open social networking protocol. By joining this rapidly growing ecosystem of interoperable services, Threads aims to help people find their community, regardless of the app they use,” stated Meta.
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