Instagram is about to release a new app called ‘Threads, an Instagram app‘ on July 6th, 2023. “Threads feels like Twitter’s mature younger sibling – post your thoughts, and watch people heart, chat, or spread them. Already an Insta-user? Cool, you can follow your favorite creators and artists on Threads too, and even keep your trusty username.
Meta launching Instagram threads feels like they’re saying, ‘Oh, Twitter, you’re having trouble? Here, hold my photo filter.’ Twitter’s hitting the brakes on views, even for paying blue subscribers – and have you tried sharing an external link lately? It’s like inviting guests to a party but asking them to bring their own house first. And the free speech? Well, it’s not ‘free’ when it’s shackled to a sign-up form! Plus, Twitter’s starting to charge for what was once complimentary, and users are responding like they’ve seen a really bad meme. So, Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc., thinks this is a ripe moment to invite everyone to a new party – over at Threads. The plot thickens, folks!
Twitter`s Downfall
Competition is healthy and from my observation, it looks like Twitter is showing more false information, violence, and propaganda at a higher rate than Facebook and YouTube right now. This trend may be attributable to Twitter’s seemingly laissez-faire approach to content moderation, which, though laudable in principle, harbors its pitfalls (Twitter folks know this rabbit hole) Striking an equilibrium is intricate; censorship is a double-edged sword. It’s imperative to curtail the proliferation of deleterious content while safeguarding freedom of expression. However, Twitter`s community notes contributors may not be representative of the consensus and are vulnerable to exploitation by malicious entities.
Obviously, if Twitter slips in monitoring content, it can inadvertently feed misinformation. That’s why Instagram’s Threads could steal the limelight. I’ve got my fingers crossed for some crypto-friendly features too! And why shell out for Twitter Blue for basic stuff like ads? Plus, Twitter’s comments section isn’t always the real deal, as it can be skewed by those with ulterior motives.
Twitter already has some competition from other apps like Mastodon and Bluesky, but they are still new and don’t have as many people using them. Instagram, on the other hand, has been getting famous people and influencers to talk about Threads to make it popular even before it launches.
Threads is being advertised as a space where groups of people can chat about anything they are interested in – stuff that’s important today or things that everyone will be talking about tomorrow.
It’s not the first time Meta has taken ideas from other apps. For example, Instagram has this cool thing called “stories” where you can post stuff, but they disappear after one day. This was actually taken from another app called Snapchat in 2016. Meta also made something similar to TikTok called “reels”, which lets you make short videos. This has helped Instagram and Facebook become even more popular. Right now, over 3 billion people use at least one of Meta’s apps every day.
The key takeaway: Threads is a new Instagram app that aims to outperform its rival – Twitter, a platform that seems to now have a requirement of having an account to view content can be a barrier for artists and content creators seeking a more accessible platform. In contrast, Meta Platforms appear to have the upper hand in this case. Competition is always invigorating, particularly if they abstain from censoring or de-prioritizing accounts the way Twitter does for external links. This could be a favorable alternative for creators and writers globally.
Last Updated on 07/31/2023 by Emmanuel Motelin
