Instagram’s New Platform Threads Is Here & It’s A Direct Threat To Twitter

Instagram Launches Threads, A Platform That Closely Resembles Twitter

If you haven’t been keeping up, Instagram has launched a platform, Threads, which looks almost the same as Twitter.

The text-based app is poised to be Twitter’s arch-rival, as Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, wants users from Elon Musk’s beleaguered social media site to flock to them instead.

Threads is now available in 100 countries on the Apple and Google app stores, including Singapore.

From what we heard, the platform has recorded five million sign-ups in the first four hours of operation.

Here are some basic facts about the new social media site, touted by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as “an open and friendly public space for conversation”.

Threads has longer character limit than Twitter

You can sign into Threads using your Instagram account. This means that to be a Threads user, you must be an Instagram user too.

At first glance, the app adopts a clean, monochromatic look. The only traces of colours you’d see are your profile picture and images.

One of Threads’ main draws is also being able to offer posts with a higher word count. For comparison, Threads has a character limit of 500, while Twitter has 280.

Meanwhile, you can also post links, photos, and videos of up to five minutes in length.

After getting used to the interface, you’ll notice that several Twitteresque features have taken on different names on Threads. For example, a tweet on Threads is called a thread, while retweets are known as “reposts”.

However, we did realise that the app does not make use of hashtags (they’re unclickable).

There is also no direct messaging function for now, but Instagram said they may consider adding the feature if new users need it.

New app touted as ‘Twitter killer’ by investors

According to BBC, the current launched version of the app is just an initial version. More features are in the works, such as interacting with people on other social media apps like Mastodon.

“Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text,” Meta said.

The timing of the launch is said to be a ‘Twitter killer’ moment by investors, as Twitter users are still reeling from Musk’s recently imposed restrictions on the number of tweets they can read daily.

Musk’s move was reportedly his last attempt at getting users to sign up for its subscription service, Twitter Blue. It also did not help that the app’s popular user dashboard TweetDeck will be locked behind a paywall.

Last month, Musk and Zuckerberg also made headlines for taunting each other into a cage fight.

Have you started using Threads? What’s your experience like so far? Drop by our account and say hi to us when you’re there.

Featured image adapted from Threads.