Facebook-parent Meta officially unveiled its new app, Threads, on Wednesday, just three months after announcing its plans. The launch of Threads has generated significant buzz, with 30 million sign-ups reported within the first day, including notable brands, celebrities, and journalists. Some early adopters have even speculated that Threads could become the “Twitter killer.” The app quickly rose to the top of Apple’s App Store charts and became a trending topic on Twitter.
Threads poses a potential threat to Twitter, which has faced criticism since Elon Musk assumed control in 2022. Recent user dissatisfaction with Twitter’s temporary content viewing limit has made the platform more vulnerable. For Meta, Threads offers an opportunity to expand its portfolio of popular apps and create a new advertising platform.
Threads, developed by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, bears similarities to Twitter. It features a predominantly text-based feed but also allows users to share photos and videos. Users can engage in real-time conversations, reply to and repost others’ posts, and quote content. The app incorporates elements from Instagram’s aesthetic and navigation system and enables direct sharing of Threads posts to Instagram Stories.
Thread accounts can be public or private, with verified Instagram accounts automatically receiving verification on Threads. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described Threads as a “friendly public space for conversation” and aimed to leverage Instagram’s strengths to create a new text-based experience for users.
While some users experienced glitches and content loading issues during the initial hours of Threads’ launch, these were expected given the influx of millions of users joining simultaneously.
Signing up for Threads is simple, as users can register using their Instagram accounts and retain the same username, password, and account name. They can customize their bios uniquely for Threads and import their list of followed accounts from Instagram, streamlining the onboarding process.
However, leaving Threads is more complicated, as users can only temporarily deactivate their profiles through the app’s settings. To permanently delete a Threads profile, users must delete their Instagram account entirely. Concerns have been raised about the data collection capabilities of Threads, similar to those of Instagram, including access to location, contacts, search history, browsing history, and contact information.
Threads is available in over 100 countries and supports more than 30 languages on both iOS and Android platforms.
Threads joins the ranks of recent platforms attempting to challenge Twitter’s dominance in real-time public conversations. With Meta’s vast user base, the company aims to attract over 2 billion active Instagram users to the new app, significantly surpassing Twitter’s active user base of approximately 250 million. Mark Zuckerberg expressed his belief that a public conversations app with a billion-plus users is achievable, highlighting Twitter’s missed opportunities.
Meta’s existing scale and infrastructure give Threads an advantage over other Twitter competitors that require users to join waitlists or receive invitations. However, Meta must address challenges related to spam, harassment, conspiracy theories, and false claims to maintain user engagement and avoid the issues that have plagued Twitter. Meta assures that Threads will adhere to the same Community Guidelines as its other apps.
While Threads currently lacks advertisements, it could eventually supplement Meta’s core advertising business. This move would help Meta’s ad business recover from the decline in the online ad market and the impact of Apple’s app privacy practices. However, it is unlikely that Threads will attract as many ad dollars as Meta’s other platforms.
Beyond potential business gains, Mark Zuckerberg may also be motivated by outperforming his rival, Elon Musk, with whom he has recently been discussing a cage fight. Achieving victory in the battle of social networks could be equally satisfying for Zuckerberg.