It’s arguably the most trending word in tech right now: Threads. But what is it? You have probably heard about Threads, might even understand the basics. In simple terms, Threads is Meta’s answer to Twitter, and it’s taking the social media world by storm. Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, there have been a flurry of changes, and users aren’t happy. The latest move, limiting how much Twitter users can scroll, was the last straw.
Threads could not have come at a better time, and people are flocking to the Twitter-like feed website in droves. National Post reported that as at mid-day July 6, just a day after launch, 30 million users had already signed up for Threads. Chances are that by the time you read this, that number will have grown exponentially.
The Basics of Threads
What should you know about Threads? Launched on July 5 in more than 100 countries and available for both iOS and Android, Threads is owned by Meta, parent company to Facebook and Instagram (and another baby of Mark Zuckerberg). The social messaging service is dubbed a “new way to share with text.” Essentially, it’s basically the old way (read: Twitter) but under a new umbrella and with its own unique twists.
Built by the team behind Instagram, Threads is very easy to set-up since it’s linked directly to your existing Instagram account. The idea, says Meta, is to create a separate space where people can share text-based messages as openly (and arguably as often, if not more often) than they share photos, videos, and Reels on Instagram.
Just like with other social sites, once you join, connect with people you know, or individuals, companies, and brands you want to follow. Since Threads is connected to Instagram, you can choose to instantly follow everyone you follow on Instagram, and they can do the same with you. This helps start a conversation from the get-go. Within a few hours of joining, for example, I was following over 100 accounts and had 36 followers. A button would allow me to easily see who I’m following on Instagram but not following on Threads so I can add them as well (if you don’t instantly choose to sync the two).
Your Instagram details, including login credentials, carry over to Threads, as well as your profile photo. You can write a new bio, change the photo at any time, but login details are forever tied with Instagram. You can also choose to make your profile Private if you desire, so anyone who requests to follow you needs to be approved first. If you’re under the age of 16 (18 in some countries), your profile will automatically default to Private when signing up.
How Threads Is Different From (And Similar To) Twitter
Meta is trying to position Threads as a place for positivity, allowing you to control who can mention you or even reply to you. You can filter out replies that contain certain words, unfollow, block, or restrict people, and even report a profile if you believe someone is speaking out of turn.
There are character limits on Threads, like on Twitter, but these are much longer, capped at 500 characters. Twitter does offer longer character limits, but only for its paid Twitter Blue subscribers. Videos on Threads, meanwhile, can be as long as five minutes, whereas on Twitter, they are limited to 2 minutes and 20 seconds (once again, this limitation is extended for Twitter Blue subscribers).
Most interestingly, Meta plans to work with ActivityPub in the future to make Threads interoperable with other apps, like Mastodon and WordPress. Whenever this is made possible, you would be able to follow and interact with people who don’t even have a Threads account and vice versa. The concept could be likened to what WhatsApp and Signal have done for inter-device instant messaging or Matter has done for interoperability among different smart home device platforms.
What Are People Saying?
So what are Threads users saying so far about the platform? After spending some time on it myself, sharing a few posts, commenting on a few posts, and scrolling endlessly through the feed that reminds me of what it used to be like on Twitter, I noticed a few common themes.
People are loving the simplicity. But with the simplicity comes limitations. You can’t edit Threads and can’t send Direct Messages (DMs). These features may (and likely will) be added over time should Threads stick around for the long-haul. Alongside the various GIFs and memes claiming “RIP Twitter” and jokingly sending condolences to marketers who will have to figure out how to manage a new presence on Threads along with everything else they do in the social realm, Threads is already full of just regular posts. News stories, daily musings, questions, comments, and other content that you’d typically find on, well, Twitter.
One vocal dissenter, however, is Musk himself. According to Variety, Twitter has already threatened to sue Meta over Threads, calling it a “copycat app” and alleging that Meta hired “dozens” of former Twitter employees to launch it. Reportedly, a Twitter lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to Zuckerberg on July 5, citing “serious concerns” over “systematic, willful and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.” For what it’s worth, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone refutes claims that anyone on the Threads engineering team formerly worked at Twitter. “That’s just not a thing,” he said. Musk Tweeted that “competition is fine, cheating is not.”
Should You Join Threads?
If you’re an early adopter and you want to get on board to see what all the fuss is about, go ahead and join Threads. Contrary to what some say, you can in fact delete your Threads account without deleting your Instagram profile. Go into Settings, Account, and select Deactivate Profile. This is, however, only temporary. Your profile, threads, replies, and likes will be hidden, and you can reactivate the account at any time. However, if you want to delete any trace of you ever having been on Threads, including anything you have posted to date, you will have to delete your Instagram account as well. Meta says it is “looking into a way to delete your Threads profile separately,” so that might be a possibility in the future. For now, it is not.
If you’re confident that Threads will be the next Twitter, or comfortable with adding it to your social mix, especially if you’re only planning to share links and musings, it’s worth a try. I’ll be using Threads for the next little while to gauge if it’s something worth keeping or just the next Clubhouse. Remember that exclusive virtual meeting space? While still around, the fanfare around Clubhouse petered out just as quickly as it began.
Something tells us, however, that Threads might be weaving its way into a permanent space in the online social landscape, and it’s here to stay. Handling both Twitter and Threads seems unnecessary, so users may have to choose. The Musk vs. Zuckerberg rivalry is heating up, and this social showdown could prove more important than ever in that battle.
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