What Is “Threads”: A Introduction to the Newest Social Media Platform
In a world where social media is increasingly dominated by large, impersonal platforms, a new social media app called “Threads” is looking to offer people an alternative.
Threads is a standalone app from Instagram (owned by META). Its goal is to connect users with their closest friends and family. It’s a place to share your thoughts, photos, and videos with the people you care about most. And to put it short, it’s META’s replacement to Twitter, which has had no shortage of members leaving and drama stirring since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022.
So, What Exactly Is Threads?
Threads, a text-based social media platform, is the latest social media platform to join the growing list of challengers to Twitter’s dominance in the microblogging sphere. Other platforms vying for Twitter’s users include Bluesky, Spill, and Mastodon.
The app opens to a scrollable feed of short-form text posts, limited to 500 characters each. Users can also add individual or carousel photos and videos to their posts. Posts will include content from accounts users follow, as well as from creators suggested by the platform’s recommendation algorithm. Viewers can engage with posts by liking, commenting, reposting, and quoting them. Posts can also be shared to the user’s Instagram story or feed.
Threads is still in its early stages. However, it has the potential to be a major player in the social media landscape. The app was just released on Wednesday (July 5, 2023), a day ahead of its scheduled debut. Within just seven hours of its launch, the platform had already attracted over 10 million sign-ups. And those sign-ups also included a number of brands and celebrities. Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Gordon Ramsay, Tom Brady, and Coldplay were among some of the first celebrities to sign up.
How Do I Sign Up for Threads?
Users can sign up straight from their Instagram accounts. This means, that after Threads’ worldwide launch, that over 2 billion monthly active users can import their accounts into the platform.
Once logged into the new platform, new users who have Instagram accounts are told that their usernames must remain the same. However, they can change their bios and add links to their profiles.
Verified Instagram users will also retain their check marks on Threads. Users can then choose to follow all of the accounts they follow on Instagram in bulk, which includes pre-following anyone who has not yet joined Threads.
Accounts that users have blocked on Instagram will be automatically blocked on Threads as well. Users can also choose to limit interactions on Threads by controlling who can reply to their posts and who can mention them.
Additionally, users can choose to allow replies from everyone, accounts they follow, or only mentions (users whom they directly tagged in a thread). They can also choose to restrict mentions of themselves to just accounts they follow or to disallow them entirely.
The “Fediverse” and Future Plans for Threads
Meta is actively developing compatibility between Threads and ActivityPub, a decentralized protocol that enables cross-platform information sharing (this movement is referred to as the Fediverse). By adopting ActivityPub, Threads can connect with apps like Mastodon and WordPress. This functionality will unlock unique interactions not typically available on most social platforms.
This move aligns with Meta’s vision for increased interoperability, as other platforms like Tumblr also plan to support ActivityPub in the future.
Will Threads be successful? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, it’s sure off to a strong start!
Be sure to follow Women’s Business Daily on Threads!
Emily Sprinkle, also known as Emma Loggins, is a designer, marketer, blogger, and speaker. She is the Editor-In-Chief for Women's Business Daily where she pulls from her experience as the CEO and Director of Strategy for Excite Creative Studios, where she specializes in web development, UI/UX design, social media marketing, and overall strategy for her clients.
Emily has also written for CNN, Autotrader, The Guardian, and is also the Editor-In-Chief for the geek lifestyle site FanBolt.com
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