LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has finally unveiled its new text-based app after months of speculation and secrecy. Billed as the companion app to Instagram, Meta rolled out Threads on Wednesday, July 5, in more than 100 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia. The 39-year-old Zuckerberg welcomed netizens to his new social media platform with his first Thread, which read, ''Let's do this. Welcome to Threads."
Meta touts Thread as a free service where "communities come together" to discuss topics via text, which sounds a lot like Twitter. ''Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what'll be trending tomorrow,'' the app description says. Status updates, automatic location sharing, and camera shortcuts for rapid photo and video sharing are just a few of the features offered by Threads. The new messaging app, according to a blog post by Meta, would let users share recommended content created by unknown writers in their own feeds as well as follow other users' "threads" of conversation.
Also Read: How to access Threads without an Instagram account? Here's how to install and sign up for META app
Is Threads similar or different from Twitter?
With more than 2 million downloads in just 2 hours, Threads has already outshined other social media giants. Meta’s new text-based app has been billed as a formidable rival to Twitter, with some techies referring to it as the “Twitter killer.” Functionally, Threads is similar to Elon Musk-owned Twitter, with some major differences. In Threads, the user’s feed will be algorithmic, which means it will include both content that is recommended to you and individuals you follow, similar to how Instagram is now set up. Whereas, Twitter allows its users to switch between an algorithmic and a chronological feed of only the people they follow.
The primary characteristic that distinguishes Threads from Twitter is that it aspires to be decentralized. Meaning that in the future, users will be able to plug their Threads posts into other social media platforms like Mastodon. But the interoperability isn’t ready yet, according to Meta. Another major difference between the two platforms is that Threads will provide users with a 500-character count limit whereas unverified Twitter users have a maximum of 280 characters. However, Twitter Blue customers can boost their character limit to 25,000 for $8 per month.
Meta’s new vision with Threads
Apart from the usual features, the threading experience in Meta’s new app is also different. Unlike Twitter, where a user may create a thread by using the plus button, Threads requires three enter presses to begin a thread. In Thread, users also can’t see others' liked posts, which has always been a plus factor in Twitter. Meta previously claimed that their goal with Threads is "to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text," providing a platform "to express your ideas." As its mission statement reads, "Just like on Instagram, with Threads, you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interests – including the people you follow on Instagram and beyond."
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