Threads - is Twitter now Dead?

Threads Launch

Threads has launched today (Thursday 6th July) in the US and UK and worldwide.

Meta and Mark Zuckerberg have created Threads to fill the gap, as Elon Musk struggles to make Twitter work either as a pleasant place to enjoy a text-based social experience or apparently as a business or stable tech platform. Its perfect timing for Zuckerberg to launch this week, as Twitter has just imposed limits on the number of tweets its users can consume - just the latest setback in a sorry history of decline for Twitter since Musk took over late last year.

Although Twitter users have since tried alternative platforms such as Blue Sky or Mastodon, none of these options have taken off with any great success, as they have either been too difficult to use or have not enjoyed the network effect that Twitter still has with its many users, who stubbornly hold on, hoping for Musk to turn things around.

However, from first impressions that elusive “Twitter Killer” that many of its loyal users have been looking for, may have just arrived in the form of Threads.

The Network Effect from Instagram

Meta have cleverly leveraged the user base of Instagram and Threads appears almost as a sister app to the popular visual social app. Once you download Threads, you arrive at a set up screen where you can quickly import account description and picture from your existing Instagram account and then follow your existing followed accounts from Instagram. As Threads starts to populate with those accounts, your network will start to fill out.

This aspect is a massive advantage for Meta, as other platforms have failed because although they may have great features, they always struggle to attract a critical mass of users that will make the experience enjoyable and anywhere near similar to that you can have on Twitter. Threads has a huge head start here and although the accounts you follow on Twitter will not be the same as those you follow on Instagram, you can imagine there will be enough of a overlap that many people will feel they are all set to try the new app. It will be easy to follow other Twitter-specific accounts, if there is a mass movement from Twitter over the next few weeks.

Threads Features and Usability

Feature wise, Twitter and Instagram users will be very comfortable on Threads - it really is a clone of Twitter with like, retweet and share buttons all in place, but the extra design sheen that comes from the slick Meta interface engineers that have been building this quietly in the background for the last few months. It is very much like a cleaner version of Twitter. Based on an hour of playing with the platform, the only obvious thing that is missing is a direct message option, but with Messenger, Whatsapp and Instagram Messaging in the Meta stable, it can’t be too long before direct messages are rolled out as a feature on Threads. You have plenty of room for your thoughts on Threads, with post lengths of up to 500 characters, far more than the 280 allowed for regular accounts on Twitter.

Mark Zuckerberg has said keeping Threads "friendly... will ultimately be the key to its success". A clear indication that Meta is keen to differentiate Threads from Twitter by emphasising safety and a good experience, which many have said is severely lacking on Twitter, which even before Elon Musk took over had a reputation for abuse and a toxic environment. As Elon Musk has allowed previously banned figures, including Donald Trump, back on to Twitter, many users has noticed a growth in the negative aspects of the social network. As Facebook and Instagram already have an army of moderators and much more financial backing than Twitter, you can assume that safety will be better on the new platform, although a failure to stem abuse could be one reason that it doesn’t take off. There is sure to be a lot of focus from the media and regulators on the new social network and how it evolves in terms of safety and policy.

Like Instagram , you can choose for your account to be public or private and there are plans to have greater inoperability for the platform, so users can interact with users on other platforms such as Mastodon. Already, Instagram and Threads are closely interlinked and you can share posts between the two networks. This feature is sure to make those on Instagram curious about the new platform and tempt them to set up an account, which is very easy and quick to do.

All the usual safety features are in place with the ability to block and restrict accounts, with accounts already blocked on Instagram, automatically blocked on Threads.

Threads vs Twitter

Is this the end for Twitter? Only time will tell, but Meta seem like a powerful rival who are perhaps most likely to dethrone Twitter as the must visit place to see real time updates and interact with the community that has enjoyed Twitter over the years. Journalists, influencers, politicians and celebrities love Twitter, but many of them have had their patience tested by Elon Musk’s fast and loose management of the platform and with technical issues plaguing Twitter, the timing is excellent for a mass exodus.

If Threads can keep the platform safe and fun, then it has the chance to recapture the playful spirit of curiosity, sharing and community that used to infuse Twitter. Early reports say the social network is already above 10 million users on the day of launch, so plenty are ready to try it out.

Maybe, the rivalry between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk won’t be resolved inside an MMA Octagon, but when Threads knocks out Twitter and leaves Elon Musk severely out of pocket on his acquisition.