On July 6th Meta launched a new app called “Threads” in 100 countries. Threads is intended to be a platform where you can share short casual text posts. These posts can include a picture, video or even a link. This application is very similar to Twitter, while bringing over some familiar features from Instagram. It’s kind of like a merger of the two apps. The main feature is to share text posts up to 500 words. You can “repost” like you would “retweet” on Twitter, but in addition to that you can quote posts, add them to your story and/or to your feed. Other than that, it is a pretty standard and familiar platform, with a search tab, profile tab, and activity tab where you can see likes, mentions, etc.
Now that you are familiar with the basics of the app, let’s dig into the finer points. You cannot use Threads without an Instagram account, this is because all Threads accounts must be linked to an already existing Instagram account. The platform invites all of your followers on Instagram to follow your Thread account. This is one of the attractive qualities of Threads, because you don’t necessarily feel like you are starting your account from the ground up. In the near future, Threads will be compatible with other interoperable platforms. This means for example what you post on threads will be able to be seen from other apps such as Mastodon.
Although it has only been one week since the app launched, it has already made history. In 24 hours it reached 30 million users, and in only 4 days it reached 100 million users. Threads reached this milestone much faster than any other platform in history, beating out even ChatGPT which took two months. In a Threads Post Mark Zuckerberg said the growth has been “mostly organic” and that they “haven’t even turned on many promotions yet.” Of course with the Twitter-like features, there has been much speculation and it didn’t take long for Twitter to file a cease and desist letter with Meta. They have accused Meta Platforms of hiring Twitter employees to spill secrets about the inner workings of the original platform. Below is a list of popular social media platforms, so you can see just how fast Threads is growing…
Time it took for platforms to reach 100 million users:
- Twitter- 5 years and 5 months
- Facebook- 4 years and 6 months
- Amazon- 4 years
- Snapchat- 3 years and 8 months
- Myspace- 3 years
- Musical.ly (TikTok)- 2 years and 5 months *roughly*
- Instagram- 2 years and 4 months
- ChatGPT- 2 months
- Threads- 4 days
In the past week while using the app we have noticed some flaws to the application. First and foremost one annoying thing to note about Threads is that you can’t delete a Threads account without deleting its linked Instagram account. There is also no feed that only shows you accounts you follow. Many users have complained about their feed being filled with posts from accounts they didn’t follow, when they would rather see their friends’ posts. Also, much like Instagram the feed shows you what Meta thinks you should see rather than the feed showing up in chronological order (this isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just a personal preference). However, Threads is still in its infancy and is working hard to resolve all of these issues.
Overall, Threads is a great application and is the perfect extension of Instagram. If you or your brand wants to hop on Threads and ride the wave, but you don’t know what type of things you should post, don’t worry! Many people are still lost and don’t fully understand the vibe and purpose of Threads or what it can do for your business. We’re here to help YOU with the newest Social Media trends and help your business stay one step ahead. To schedule a free consultation and see if Threads is right for you to jump on, click here.
