THREADS APP: 100M USERS TRY META’S TWITTER ALTERNATIVE

• The social media app has reportedly seen 100 million users sign up within days of its launch.
  

Threads, a text-based messaging app launched by Instagram, has reportedly surpassed 100 million users within days of its launch.

The link between Instagram and Threads accounts makes it easy for the 1.6 billion existing Instagram users to sign up for Threads and start using the app from day one. The app is currently not available in the European Union.

On Friday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted that the number of sign-ups, about 70 million at the time, was “beyond our expectations.”

Twitter responded to the competition posed by Threads by sending a letter threatening to sue Meta. The letter insinuated that Meta had hired former Twitter employees who had access to trade secrets.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk addressed the potential lawsuit on Twitter, stating, "Competition is fine, cheating is not." Musk and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey also shared a lighthearted exchange about the rise of Twitter alternatives.

How to get Threads? 

Users can sign up for Threads using their Instagram username. The app allows users to fill out their public profile and follow the same people they do on Instagram during the signup process. Inside the Threads app, users can view the latest posts on their home feed, search for new people to follow, and check their notifications. User profiles on Threads have separate tabs for Threads and Replies. Verified Instagram accounts are also verified on Threads, and subscribing to Meta Verified on Instagram will simultaneously verify the Threads account.

Threads users can create posts with up to 500 characters of text, five minutes of video, and/or ten images. These posts can be shared as Instagram Stories, posts to the Instagram feed, Twitter, and other social networks to promote new accounts and gain followers.

With over 100 million users on Threads, the app attracts a wide range of users, including celebrities, influencers, and brands. Other social platforms are also present on Threads. However, there is no official Twitter account on the app, and the official Instagram account for Twitter does not have a Threads number badge.

Concept:

Threads is a text-based app for public conversation that is based on Instagram, and was developed by Meta’s Instagram team. Users will have to sign up for Instagram to use Threads, and can migrate with their same username and the accounts they were following on Instagram.

However, the first dark pattern or user interface manipulation a Threads member encounters is the late realisation that in order to delete Threads, they will have to delete their Instagram account as well. The two are inextricably linked, though this may change in the future.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has said that Threads does not plan to replace Twitter, but instead wants to welcome communities which did not work well with Twitter, or draw in users who want a less “angry” place for conversations.

More worryingly, he warned that while news and politics will not be censored on Threads, these topics will not be actively courted by the platform. Considering that Twitter is seeing a spike in false news and impersonation due to its new paid blue tick model, Threads’ lack of commitment to these verticals feels like both an easy escape and a missed opportunity. After all, if users only want cozy photos and dreamy captions, Instagram is just a tap or two away.

Design and User Interface:

To put it bluntly, Threads wears the same skin as Twitter but uses more attractive icons. There are options to heart posts, comment, repost or quote posts, and share them across platforms. Users can see the number of replies and likes a post has received, as well as some photo icons showing users who have commented in response to posts. However, none of these users were people whom I knew, so it was largely unnecessary.

Threads features more grey text than Twitter, including in places where simple icons would have sufficed. The grey text colour also makes it difficult to compose threads. Twitter feels more clean and accessible for now, and also has alt-text features.

Privacy Concerns Surrounding The Threads App:

Privacy concerns have been raised regarding the Threads app, as some users have expressed worries about the app's privacy disclaimers, which indicate that a significant amount of user data will be linked to their identity. Regarding account deletion, since Threads is linked to Instagram, users can deactivate their Threads profile or delete their Instagram and Threads accounts. However, currently, there is no separate option to delete the Threads profile alone.

Interestingly, Instagram had previously released another app called Threads in 2019. That version of Threads was a camera-centric messaging app focused on sharing photos, videos, and status updates with a close circle of friends. However, it was ultimately discontinued in 2021.

User Experience:

When signing in to Threads the application crashed multiple times, though this could have been due to its initial popularity.

On data privacy, users are giving the app permission to potentially collect a lot of extremely personal information, including their religious beliefs and sexual orientation. Meta’s history of protecting user data is poor and the app’s release is stalled in the EU. This should give privacy-conscious users a reason to pause before they hit ‘Download.’

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