Last night, Meta Platforms, the parent company of popular social networks Facebook and Instagram, launched a new text-based platform called Threads, aiming to compete with Twitter. The launch of this new platform was reported by AFP. While available in approximately 100 countries, Threads is notably absent in the European Union due to concerns surrounding the handling of personal data.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, personally welcomed users to the new network, and his initial message received thousands of “likes” within minutes, indicating a successful debut for the social media newcomer, as reported by AFP.
According to various media sources, Threads bears a striking resemblance to Twitter in terms of appearance and functionality. However, it distinguishes itself by allowing users to post longer messages, with a maximum length of 500 characters compared to Twitter’s 280 characters for most users. Additionally, the new platform supports video uploads of up to five minutes in duration.
Access to Threads is facilitated through Instagram, a strategic move highlighted by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), as it could accelerate the app’s popularity. With Instagram boasting over two billion monthly active users, significantly more than Twitter’s 364 million, even a fraction of Instagram users adopting Threads could fuel rapid growth for the new network.
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter last year, many users of the platform have expressed a desire for an alternative. In fact, the German government recently revealed that it is considering exploring alternative communication channels due to the changes on Twitter.
WSJ also highlighted Twitter’s recent struggles, including technical issues, the loss of certain advertisers, and criticism regarding insufficient content moderation. However, the WSJ noted that none of the emerging startups like Mastodon, Truth Social, or Bluesky have yet emerged as genuine competitors to Twitter.
