Threads currently enables users to share posts of considerable length at a maximum of 500 characters while also supporting captivating videos lasting up to an exciting five minutes. However, it is important to recognize that this app supported by Meta does possess its own unique characteristics. Specifically notable is the absence of several vital features found within its Twitter equivalent including hashtags, keywords direct messages and desktop functionality; causing certain users to express a longing for more comprehensive capabilities.
Meta’s Threads app has stormed the digital landscape, amassing 30 million downloads in a mere 18 hours since its highly anticipated launch on Thursday. Branded as the formidable “Twitter-killer,” this application empowers users to share text, links, and actively engage in conversations by replying to or reposting messages from their fellow users.
Media outlets are abuzz with reports of Threads soaring to success, rapidly ascending to the top spot of Apple’s App Store charts in both the UK and US on Thursday. Projections suggest that Threads might even outpace its competitors, potentially amassing a staggering 100 million users within the next two months, as experts speculate.
Threads, in its current form, grants users the ability to share posts containing up to a generous 500 characters, accompanied by captivating videos lasting up to a thrilling five minutes. However, it is important to note that this Meta-backed appis not without its quirks, as it notably lacks several vital features present in its Twitter counterpart. Hashtags, keywords, direct messages, and a desktop version remains absent from the Threads experience, leaving some users yearning for more.
Attempting to shed light on the underlying motivation behind Threads, the CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, explained his perspective in a post. He mused, “There is a void in the digital realm, awaiting a public conversations app that effortlessly unites a staggering billion individuals. While Twitter has been afforded the opportunity to achieve this feat, it has yet to grasp it firmly. With Threads, we endeavor to seize that mantle and forge ahead, becoming the catalyst for change.”
Ever since Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition, a multitude of alternatives to Twitter have sprung forth. Regrettably, Musk’s decision-making has caused a notable fracture between Twitter users and advertisers, inadvertently fueling the need for a new dawn.
Indeed, within this era of “Twitter 2.0,” the company has ventured into uncharted territory, modifying its verification policy by stripping old verified users of their blue tick mark, instead proposing a monthly payment of $8 to reclaim it. Adding to the chaos, Musk recently announced an imposition on the number of posts visible to users, citing a battle against the “extreme levels of data scraping.”
Although the digital landscape has witnessed the rise of several alternatives to Twitter, Elon Musk’s influential social media platform has managed to retain its popularity among users. While Twitter boasted an impressive 229 million monthly active users as of May 2022, rival contenders such as Bluesky or Mastodon have struggled to garner a fraction of the same fervor, mustering a meager 1.7 million and 265,000 monthly active users, respectively.
