Five things to know about Meta Threads

Prominent personalities to join the novel microblogging platform include celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez as well as prominent politicians such as Democratic US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

While only time will tell whether Threads is able to truly mount a competition to Twitter, here are some things you should know about the platform.

1. 01

   Features similar to Twitter

   Threads can be downloaded for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in over 100 countries. It is a text-based social messaging app in which users can post short messages that others can like, share, and comment upon. Posts can be up to 500 characters long and can include links, photos and videos up to 5 minutes in length.

   In fact, Zuckerberg took to Twitter, posting a well-known meme of Spiderman facing off against Spiderman – in a humorous jab at the rivalry with Musk and between the two services.

2. 02

   Built on the Instagram network

   The app is built on the Instagram network, meaning users will be able to reuse their Instagram username with a few taps and automatically follow the same people you already follow on Instagram. However, Meta also lets you customise your Threads profile.

   Analysts have said Threads’ ties to Instagram might give it a built-in user base and advertising apparatus. That could siphon ad dollars from Twitter at a time when its new CEO is trying to revive its struggling business.

   “Investors can't help but be a little excited about the prospect that Meta really has a 'Twitter-Killer',” said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at investment firm AJ Bell.

3. 03

   Fediverse: enabling cross-platform interactions

   Threads will support a novel feature known as Fediverse. This would enable Threads users to interact with people from alternative microblogging platforms like Mastodon.

   According to Instagram’s website, fediverse is a “a social network of different servers operated by third parties that are connected and can communicate with each other... Our vision is that Threads will enable you to communicate with people on other fediverse platforms we don’t own or control.”

4. 04

   Twitter on the backfoot

   Threads’ arrival comes after Zuckerberg and Musk have traded barbs for months, even threatening to fight each other in a real-life mixed martial arts cage match in Las Vegas – a match which was ‘cancelled’ after Elon Musk’s mother stepped in.

   Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October, but its value has since plummeted amid deep staffing cuts and content moderation controversies that have alienated both users and advertisers. Its latest move, which drew a lot of flak, involved limiting the number of tweets users can read per day.

   It is in this context that Threads hopes to make inroads in the market.

   “I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will,” Zuckerberg said recently.

5. 05

   Privacy concerns

   Despite the promise Threads holds, and the timing of its launch, the new micro-blogging platform has already sparked controversy regarding its privacy policy.

   The official listing on Apple App Store reveals that Meta’s Threads may collect data on health, fitness, finances, contacts, browsing history, usage, location, search history, identifiers, and other sensitive information.

   All your Threads are belong to us https://t.co/FfrIcUng5O pic.twitter.com/V7xbMOfINt

   — jack (@jack) July 4, 2023

   While this is not completely unusual, it invited a torrent of criticism, notably from Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey.

(With inputs from Reuters)