Meta's recent social networking application, Threads, experienced a surge in popularity within its initial hours, with 10 million sign-ups, announced Mark Zuckerberg, the tech giant's CEO. The app, launched as a direct competitor to Twitter, owned by Elon Musk since October, is already witnessing a substantial influx of users. Industry experts foresee this move as a potential refuge for Twitter's dissatisfied user base due to recent platform modifications.
Threads supports posts of up to 500 characters and bears a striking resemblance to Twitter in terms of features. Zuckerberg underscored the essentiality of maintaining a user-friendly atmosphere on the platform for its eventual success. However, Musk countered this approach, stressing the authenticity of Twitter over the curated positivity on Instagram.
When queried about Threads' potential to surpass Twitter, Zuckerberg emphasized the necessity of a public conversation application with over a billion users. He highlighted Twitter's missed opportunity and expressed optimism about succeeding in this endeavor.
Privacy advocates have expressed concerns over Threads' potential data usage, including health, financial, and browsing information linked to users' identities, according to details on the Apple App Store. The app is presently accessible in more than 100 nations, including the UK, with the EU excluded due to regulatory issues.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced that Threads is the initial iteration with plans to expand features, including interoperability with other social media platforms like Mastodon. They aim to elevate Instagram's best elements into a text-based platform.
Despite being a separate app, Threads requires users to log in via their Instagram account. The Instagram username is retained, but users can customize their profile specifically for Threads. Meta states that users have the flexibility to follow the same accounts they do on Instagram and have the option to be private on one platform and public on the other.
This launch comes in the wake of criticisms against Meta's business ethics. Frances Haugen, a former Meta employee, accused the firm of prioritizing profit over safety and questioned their content moderation strategies. Meta also faced controversy for allowing third-party access to user data, including companies like Cambridge Analytica.
Meta's new venture aims to leverage its connections to Instagram and its hundreds of millions of active users, giving Threads an edge over existing Twitter alternatives such as Bluesky and Mastodon.
Threads allows posts, including links, images, and videos, to be shared with Instagram and offers numerous user control options. Despite early teething issues with image uploading, the platform has drawn substantial attention due to its similarities with Twitter.
In an unrelated move, Twitter's Elon Musk introduced daily tweet restrictions citing rampant "data scraping" and continued to push for Twitter Blue, their subscription service. The impending inclusion of TweetDeck behind a paywall and Musk's controversial stewardship have caused considerable unease among the platform's users.
While Threads is currently unavailable in the EU due to regulatory stipulations, Meta is investigating potential launch strategies. The EU's Digital Markets Act, which mandates rules for data sharing across platforms owned by large companies, is the main barrier affecting Threads' release in the region.