There was a lot of speculation around Meta's new Twitter rival. Now it's been revealed: Threads is the latest app in the social media universe of Meta. We sum up five interesting facts about the "Twitter killer".
Social media giant Meta just launched a new app: Threads! It'll be integrated in the Instagram network, but work separately as a more text-based public chat network.
Users need to have an Instagram profile to sign up, but then the app works independently with its own feed and privacy settings. Users will be able to post updates on their feed using text (up to 500 characters), photos, and videos (up to five minutes). It's also possible to re-post other people's posts and interact via likes and replies.
The Threads feed will show posts from other people that users follow on Instagram, but also suggest new profiles to follow.
Because the new app is very similar to Twitter, and because some people think that it could even replace it, Threads has been already called a "Twitter killer".
We're not sure about that, but it'll definitely make the social media landscape more interesting. So, what should you know about Meta's latest network? We sum up five interesting facts about Threads.
1. The app already has thirty million sign-ups
Threads launched on July 5, and only 24 hours after the rollout, more than thirty million people had signed up for it, according to Mark Zuckerberg.
2. You can't slide into anybody's DMs
While Threads looks and feels a lot like Twitter, there's still no direct messaging feature. Instagram has announced that there will be more features to come in the future, so it's possible that Threads will get DMs as well.
3. Threads was almost called Instagram Notes
From Stories to Reels to Broadcast Channels, there are already a lot of features on Instagram! According to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, there have been efforts to keep the network free of clutter in the past. That's why Threads won't be directly implemented on Instagram, but rather as a separate app.
Of course, that's not the only reason. Meta has had its eyes on a Twitter rival for over a year. That's what also made it more attractive to think about a new app, said Mosseri. In the last months, engineers, product managers, and designers at Instagram came up with different ideas on how to take on Twitter. One of them was a feature called "Instagram Notes" that was supposed to be a message board with text-based updates, similar to Twitter.
That idea stuck, and in the end became the new app Threads.
4. Threads isn't available in the EU
Threads launched in about 100 countries, but so far it's not available in the European Union. That's due to the new Digital Markets Act law that will limit data sharing capabilities for tech companies across services. Meta wants to wait and see what the new law requires before rolling out Threads in the European Union as well.
5. Threads wants you to stay in a happy bubble
While Twitter is not necessarily known for polite conversations, that's exactly what Threads is going for. According to Instagram, they "built Threads with tools to enable positive, productive conversations". That's clearly meant as a reference to the often very controversial exchanges on Twitter.
Twitter owner Elon Musk already has his own take on the happy bubble. He said:
It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram.
