Threads: Twitter's better-looking rival
Threads were launched on the 6th of July 2023( even though no one asked them to). What are Threads? This app allows users to interact with threads of posts where people share their thoughts with a few limited characters. Sound familiar? We don’t tweet anymore, we thrive on threading.
Move aside Musk, Zuckerberg is planning a takeover!
Threads were launched on the 6th of July 2023( even though no one asked them to). What are Threads? This app allows users to interact with threads of posts where people share their thoughts with a few limited characters. Sound familiar? We don’t tweet anymore, we thrive on threading.
What we know
Posts are limited to 500 characters versus Twitter’s 280 characters (come on Musk). Threads don't allow the trending hashtags to be a standard feature (how will we trend?) and do not have a feature that allows users to search for specific text or phrases. (Not gonna lie kinda feel like they missed a trick, even TikTok picked up on this). However, download at your own risk! If you delete your Threads account it will also delete your Instagram account as the two are linked. ( Hopefully, Zucker will change that soon).
But is it better than Twitter?
Threads are simaliar is Twitter. It’s the same box standard old likes, retweets, following standard features. Since the Musk invasion, users are now limited to how many tweets they can see. Threads layout to push out viral posts does give off a similar atmosphere. With that being said, what made Twitter stand out from other apps is the low bar of censorship. With just a simple ‘ Privacy Policy change’ anyone could see content that was 18+ and users rarely got suspended, even if what they were sharing went against public guidelines. This leaves the question, will threads be the same? Only time will tell.
What does this mean for Musk?
With Threads surpassing 10 million signups on the first day and reaching the number 1 spot on the iTunes store. Musk’s lawyer accused the company of “unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.”
Meta has also been accused of hiring dozens of former Twitter employees (previously fired by Twitter CEO) who “had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information.” Yikes.