The app has appeared in the app stores, is linked to Instagram and wants to offer an alternative for those who flee from Elon Musk’s social network
Themes, the app Meta developed to rival Twitter, has appeared on Apple and Google’s app download services. Loading can not be done yet but according to indications Available in the App Store For iPhones, Threads will be available later this week. The arrival of the new app had been awaited for some time, and in recent days news and speculation about plans for Meta – which already controls Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – to take advantage of the confusion and inefficiency that has plagued Twitter since then, has intensified. Last fall to get more people to switch to the topics.
At the moment there is not much official information about the new service, but according to indications in the previews in the app stores, the themes will be essentially a text version of Instagram, designed to publish short posts in which you can mention other users and insert links, with almost identical to the existing ones. in Twitter and other services such as Mastodon. Everyone registered on Instagram will be able to use the same account also in threads and will be able to import the list of subscribers to their profile and the people they follow. The app will still be separate and with distinct functions from those normally available on Instagram.
The possibility of using the same account and immediately starting with the same followers should encourage the use of the new service, but it is not clear how many Instagram subscribers will want to produce other content on a kind of social network parallel to the one they are used to. Uses. However, Instagram is one of the largest and most used social networks in the world, as a result of which it will be able to immediately advertise the new service.
However, the Meta description of threads on app stores is very general and could apply to almost any social network:
Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from what matters to you today to what’s trending tomorrow. Whatever interests you, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and other people who like the same things, or form a group of followers to share your thoughts, opinions, and creations with the world.
We have already talked about the threads that some meta makers had mentioned That their application will be “healthy managed”, with a clear reference to the chaotic management of Twitter after its acquisition by Elon Musk in October 2022. The social network has faced many technical problems in recent days, until it became necessary to limit the number of tweets that can be viewed every day, It still doesn’t generate enough ad revenue and struggles to convince users to switch to the paid version, which has become the only possibility to get a verified profile. Numerous disruptions and some of Musk’s statements have prompted many Twitter users to look for alternatives, without finding convincing ones: that is why Meta has accelerated the development of threads, hoping to intercept the needs of those who abandon Twitter.
However, the release of leads takes place in a complex period also for Meta, which initially invested heavily in the transition to the so-called “metaverse”, the parallel digital world in which, according to the company, people would have found themselves to continue their social relationships, build new ones, Enjoy and work. The project did not meet the expected interest and forced Meta to partially revise its plans, while it is facing a more difficult than usual economic phase associated with lower growth in advertising revenue. The company has cut many costs and laid off a significant number of employees, and refocused some development activity around artificial intelligence systems, which could then flow into a revised and updated version of the “metaverse” that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said still appears to be loads a lot.
However, Meta is one of the richest and most powerful companies in the world and is therefore seen by analysts and experts as the most credible contender for building an alternative version of Twitter. Combined, Meta’s social networks and applications have more than 3 billion members and users of the services provided by the company. On several occasions, Zuckerberg has shown some interest in Twitter, even trying to buy it in the early days when the platform was available. Over time, the CEO of Meta has steered its apps toward more personal content and abandoned those closely associated with news, particularly after issues arose with fake news and disinformation campaigns during the 2016 US presidential campaign. The leads could point to a return to associated content. with news and newspapers, bearing in mind that the news on Twitter is more likely than the rest.
Over the years Meta has produced several apps that are strongly inspired by other services already available on the internet to try and rip off their users. Many of these attempts were unsuccessful and fizzled out pretty quickly, so it can’t be ruled out that something similar happened with threads as well. Ironically, the main architect of his success may be Elon Musk.
“Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Freelance organizer. Avid analyst. Friendly troublemaker. Bacon junkie.”
