There has been a flurry of Twitter alternatives over the last few months, and the latest one is Threads by Meta. It reached one million users in record time, and after 8 hours, over 12 million people signed up. This is partially because if you had an Instagram account signing up, you just needed to activate your threads account.
You could also transfer your IG Followers quickly to threads, so it felt like something you were used to already. The interface was clean, and we experienced what it’s like to be free of ads for a while. We have used it for over 24 hours and are here to answer the question: what is Threads by Meta? And will it kill Twitter?
What is Threads by Meta?
Threads is a microblogging social media platform owned by Meta. It is a text-based Twitter rival designed for real-time conversations. You can also share high-quality pictures and videos, making it more appealing than Twitter. In 24 hours, threads have gathered over 5 million signups, and this is because people that have Instagram accounts don’t need to register. They synchronize their accounts to join threads.
How Threads Work
You can integrate your Instagram handle instantly and quickly to start using threads. It has some Instagram aesthetics making the experience a bit familiar for people. You can also easily share your content on an Instagram story or as a post. They found a way to make following people easy on the app with a little plus icon on the user profile on the feed. There is a character limit of 500, and you can add links, text, photos, and up to 5 minutes videos. Users verified on Instagram will carry their verification checkmarks to the app when they sign up.
The app uses Instagram community guidelines, and you can’t delete your threads account without deleting your Instagram account for now. You control who you follow, block, and interact with on the app. It is available on IOS and Android, but you can only save images using IOS. The app is available in over 100 countries but not yet in the EU because of privacy concerns.
Threads Vs Twitter: The Big Debate
Twitter has always been the leading platform for global microblogging and expressing thoughts and discussions. Users on the app rely on hashtags to find posts and topics they’re interested in. You can quickly locate trending content on Twitter without much effort and join in the conversation.
Lately, there has been a lot of controversy because of the decisions of Elon Musk, including limiting the number of posts users see daily. There was outrage when he also made people subscribe to Twitter blue for verified checkmarks on the app. You will find verified parody accounts on Twitter nowadays, which doesn’t sit well with many users.
Threads so far look like it was designed for a close group of friends because all the people I am familiar with are the ones I see on the app. It is way below Twitter in terms of functionality and features. There is no DM feature, and the search isn’t practical. You also don’t have access to what is trending on the app.
Starting a conversation on the app is easy because your followers are who you are familiar with. On Twitter, it’s the other way around it can be challenging to grow your follower base. I feel Threads is on the verge of overthrowing Twitter, but time will tell.
Is this the End of Twitter?
Twitter is ahead of the race right not but at least it’s no longer a monopoly. Over 50 million people signed up on threads in under 24 hours, which should tell you what it means. Meta social media apps combined can cause problems for Twitter, especially if they find a way to connect Facebook to Threads.
Elon has made some decisions over the last few months that didn’t go down well with users of Twitter. Twitter still has a robust user base, and threads don’t have half the features found on Twitter. Twitter will be fine for now, but they need to make better decisions, not just the method Elon has been using over the last few months.
Conclusion
Meta Threads is a way Instagram users can engage with each other. It feels like home where your family and friends are waiting for you to chat them up. Growing followership on the app is easy, and that’s one problem Twitter was having. If you have any questions about threads by Meta kindly ask them in the comment section below.
