Instagram Threads is a text-based messaging app developed by Meta. It looks very similar to Twitter.
This Instagram Threads app which shares a similar format with Twitter and is widely seen as Elon Musk’s major competitor since the billionaire took over the social media platform, was launched Wednesday evening, 5th July 2023 in a surprise announcement.
People will be able to use their Instagram usernames on Threads and follow the same accounts on Threads as they do on Meta’s photo-sharing app.
KEY FACTS ABOUT INSTAGRAM THREADS
- Instagram Threads, a real-time social messaging platform similar to Twitter that allows text posts of up to 500 characters, is now available on the Apple App Store for iPhone users and the Google Play Store for Android users. It will be linked to users’ Instagram accounts.Additionally, this Instagram Threads App will support videos and photos with a duration of up to five minutes.
- In an interview with The Verge, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri stated that Meta’s ability to compete with Twitter, which has been plagued by outages and unpopular limits on the number of tweets users can view in a single day, was made possible by Twitter’s “volatility” and “unpredictability” under Elon Musk.
- With the exception of the European Union, which is concerned about the app’s compliance with regulations, Instagram Threads is available on iOS and Android in more than 100 nations.
- Users will have Threads profiles that can be customized independently in a way to be different from that of their Instagram accounts. They will also be able to auto-follow the same users they follow on Instagram.
THREADS KEY BACKGROUND
The decision by Meta to establish a more direct rival to Twitter comes at a difficult time for Elon Musk-led Twitter. Users were outraged when the platform implemented a “temporary” limit on the number of posts that Twitter users could view each day. Older unverified accounts were restricted to 600 posts per day, while new unverified accounts were restricted to 300 posts per day. The daily limit for verified accounts, which cost $8 per month to operate, was 6,000 posts. Twitter has likewise managed significant blackouts, many cutbacks and a decreasing valuation since Musk took over in October. As complaints about Twitter grew, several competitors, including Mastodon and, more recently, Bluesky Social, gained attention. However, Strings — incorporated with Instagram and upheld by an organization with a $756 billion market cap — is supposed to be a definitely more huge danger to Twitter than comparable text-centered online entertainment stages. For months, rumors about Meta’s new platform had been going around. MoneyControl reported in March that Meta was working on a Twitter rival with the codename “P92.”
THREADS FEATURES & CAPABILITIES
- There are buttons to like, repost, reply to or quote a “thread,” and metric counters showing the number of likes and replies that a post has received.
- Posts are limited to 500 characters, which is more than Twitter’s 280-character limit, and posts can include links, photos and videos up to five minutes long.
- On the new app, Instagram users will be able to use their existing usernames to log in and follow the same accounts. Instagram requires new users to create an account.
- Meta emphasized measures to protect users, such as enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines and offering tools to limit who can mention or reply to users.