When Twitter was first released in 2006, the idea of posting your innermost thoughts for the world to read seemed equal parts thrilling and unnecessary. Naturally, the app found astonishing success among the outspoken and wallflowers alike and reached an estimated value of $44 billion. There have been many successful social media platforms launched since, like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, and plenty more unsuccessful attempts, too. Remember Vine?
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Meta, which owns Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Facebook, sent the internet into a frenzy this week with the launch of a brand-new app called Threads, which bears a striking resemblance to Twitter. Threads aims to create conversations and foster communities, allowing users to start conversation threads with a post of up to 500 characters. Character limit and friendly atmosphere aside, the app functions almost identically to Twitter. Think of Twitter as the place for news and trending stories, and Threads as a place to build a community and share ideas. Being a Meta application, each Threads account is connected to the user's Instagram, allowing you to synchronise your followers, preferences and profile information. More features are said to be unveiled in the future.
Since its launch on July 6 over 30 million users have signed up (including MOJEH, so be sure to follow us!) with founder Mark Zuckerberg expecting numbers to climb to over a billion in the not-so-distant future. "Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will," he posted on Threads. "Our vision is to take the best parts of Instagram and create a new experience for text, ideas, and discussing what's on your mind."
Twitter has been at the centre of controversy since it was bought by Elon Musk, entrepreneur, investor and founder of Tesla Motors and Space X, in October. Musk has been encouraging users to sign up to the paid Twitter Blue subscription by limiting features for those that haven't yet subscribed, leaving many unhappy. Could this be the push Twitter needs to return to its old ways? Or it is the beginning of its demise? Mark Zuckerberg is no stranger to controversy either, having landed in hot water surrounding Meta's data protection regulations and, as of July 7, Threads is not available in the EU because of privacy concerns.
