Meta just launched Threads, a new text-based social networking service that goes head-to-head with Twitter. Meta’s Facebook and Instagram have always competed with Twitter, of course, but Threads does so directly. The two apps are nearly identical.
Twitter has struggled since being acquired by Elon Musk in 2022, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg clearly sees an opportunity to supplant it.
Meta glides in as Twitter struggles
Facebook debuted in 2004 and over the years built a user base of about 3 billion. Twitter came along in 2006 and hasn’t done as well, though it had about 370 million users in 2022.
But that number is reportedly dropping. The analysis firm Similarweb said in March that Twitter traffic was down 18.7% year-over-year.
Elon Musk paid far more for Twitter than the company was worth, and consequently laid off 80% of the staff. Controversial comments by the billionaire spooked advertisers — revenue from ads is down 60%.
Like a shark after wounded prey, Meta smelled blood in the water and responded with its new application, which it calls Threads, an Instagram app. It is available now in the App Store for iPhone and iPad, as well as Google Play for Android.
Threads is a Twitter clone
Screenshots: Meta
“Say more with Threads — Instagram’s text-based conversation app,” says Meta’s description for its new software. “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.”
Users log in with the credentials from their existing Instagram account. And they have the option to follow the same people they do on Instagram. The difference in the two is that Threads is about communicating with words rather than pictures, though images can be attached to Threads posts. The same is true for links and videos up to 5 minutes in length.
Screenshots: Meta
If all that sounds familiar, it’s because Threads’ user interface is nearly identical to Twitter’s. Users post short text messages (500 characters max) to their followers about anything that’s on their mind.
“Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world,” said Meta about its app.
Musk says he’s made Twitter a haven for free speech, which has resulted in a rise in hate speech on the platform. Meta built in controls to allow users to protect themselves from such attacks. “We built Threads with tools to enable positive, productive conversations. You can control who can mention you or reply to you within Threads,’ the company said in the official announcement of the software/service.
Now that Threads is available, it’s up to users to decide if they prefer it to Twitter. Which could be the beginning of the end for Twitter.
But whichever choice users make, surely there will be plenty of posts on both social-networking services about the promised cage fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk if the two men really do take their rivalry beyond apps and into literal kicks and punches.
