Meta just launched Threads, Twitter’s new competitor. Meta’s branding the new app as “Threads, an Instagram App,” which is an extension of Instagram but a text-based one. Threads is an app of its own, but users can integrate their Instagram login info and following into the app.
Threads’ interface
Once you open the app, it prompts you to use the same login info you use on Instagram. Once logged in, the feed will show the “threads” that other users posted. You also have the option to follow the same people you follow on Instagram.
The feed has buttons for interactions such as likes, comments and reposts. Users can post up to 500 characters, including links, photos and videos. The feed includes posts from the users you are following and recommended creators.
Meta aims to make Threads an app where you can “tune out the noise,” according to Meta. You have the ability to control who can mention you on your thread and filter out specific words.
Fediverse integration
Meta also announced that it would integrate Fediverse soon, which means Threads will be able to work across multiple apps that support ActivityPub. Its vision is to have a “social network of different servers operated by third parties that are connected and can communicate with each other.” This might be helpful for content creators who do not want to start from zero when opening another social media profile.
Threads is a response to Twitter
Since Musk acquired Twitter last year, the platform has been through a lot of changes, including the recent limitation on how many posts a user can view in a day. The Verge reported that during a companywide meeting, Meta chief product officer Chris Cox said that Threads is a “response to Twitter.” Cox added, “We’ve been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run, that they believe that they can trust and rely upon for distribution.”
A lot of users are excited to try out Threads, especially after the drastic changes Twitter has recently gone through. Just seven hours after it launched, the app passed 10 million signups. We will see more about how it performs and how users are liking it over its competitor.