Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, released their latest app “Threads” as a challenge to Twitter’s dominance. With the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk last year, the microblogging site has been plagued by technical issues, content moderation problems, and concerns over free speech. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta aims to capitalize on this opportunity, leveraging its scale, financial strength, and existing user base to potentially disrupt Twitter’s position. Within four hours Zuckerberg reported that Threads got five million sign ups. Among those were droves of Jamaicans who have active Twitter accounts including Prime Munster Andrew Holness who made host first selfie video on Threads.
Other notable figures like Burna Boy, Swizz Beats, Tami Chin Mitchell, Debbie Bissoon, Estelle, Bunji Garlin, Shenseea are among the fists to join the Platform.
- What is Threads and how will it help the music industry?
Threads is a text-based conversation app that serves as an alternative to Twitter. Similar to Twitter, users can share real-time text updates with groups of followers, who can like, reply, and share them with their own followers. The name Threads is borrowed from Twitter, referring to a series of connected tweets from one account. Users can seamlessly transfer their follower lists and account names from Instagram.
Within hours Burna Boy already has 67,000 followers on the platform and even without one post Shenseeea got 22,000 followers.
- When and where can users try out Threads?
Meta plans to launch Threads in over 100 countries. However, the European Union’s 27-nation bloc was excluded from the initial July 6 launch due to regulatory concerns regarding data sharing between Threads and Instagram. Meta is awaiting further guidance on the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which restricts companies considered “gatekeepers” from combining personal data across different platforms. Authorities in the EU are expected to provide more clarity on this matter in September.
Wayne Marshall’s first post on Threads stated, “I feel like when u enter a party wah nuh ram up yet but u know it ago nice when everybody forward 🇯🇲.”
- How can users download the Threads app?
To join Threads, users need an Instagram account and an iPhone or Android device. The app is available on the Apple App Store for iPhones and the Google Play Store for Android devices in the US and the UK. Currently, there is no desktop version of Threads or a way to interact with the platform through a web browser.
- Can Twitter users move their followers over to Threads?
No, users will need to re-establish their follower base on Threads. This poses a significant challenge for Meta in disrupting a well-established platform like Twitter. Prominent Twitter personalities who have spent years building their profiles may think twice before migrating to Threads, considering the possibility of losing a portion of their followers in the process.
Elon Musk responded to a tweeted letter yesterday that reminded him of a letter where he called Instagram “weak sauce”. He doubled down with a tweet , “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram”
- How is Threads integrated with Instagram?
Currently, deleting a Threads account also results in the deletion of the associated Instagram account. Additionally, blocking an account on Threads will also block it on Instagram. Threads users who sign up through Instagram are given a Threads badge on their Instagram account page, displaying the number indicating the order in which they created their Threads account. Mark Zuckerberg holds badge number one, while Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri holds badge number two.
- Why is Meta launching a Twitter alternative?
Threads is the number one trending topic on Instagram and Meta’s clear objective is to attract Twitter users to its platform. Mark Zuckerberg envisions a “public conversations app with 1 billion-plus people on it,” criticizing Twitter’s failure to achieve this. Meta’s Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox, highlighted that creators and public figures are interested in a platform that is “sanely run,” alluding to the controversies surrounding Elon Musk’s management of Twitter since his acquisition in 2022.
- What has transpired at Twitter under Musk’s ownership?
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, the platform has faced technical challenges, including limitations on the number of tweets users can view per day to counter data scrapers and bots. The company has experienced a significant decline in advertising revenue, down 50% according to Musk’s March statement. Twitter has also downsized its workforce. EU regulators have called for increased resources to address sensitive content, such as child abuse images and the control of disinformation during elections.
