Facebook- and Instagram-parent Meta Platforms is reportedly launching a microblogging app called Threads on Thursday to take on Twitter. This comes amid criticism of the Elon Musk-led platform which announced several changes in the last few weeks.
The Twitter landscape has changed dramatically since Elon Musk acquired the platform last year. Many new competitors have emerged, hoping to dethrone the giant. But despite the buzz around some of them, like Bluesky, none have really taken off. Instagram Threads is different.
Instagram Threads has not only breezed past 5 million users already, but it has also done so in record time. It outperformed ChatGPT which reached 1 million users in 5 days. So what is the secret sauce of this platform? Let’s take a look.
How to use Instagram Threads?
If you’ve used Twitter before, you’ll feel right at home with Threads. If you imported your followers from Instagram, you’ll already recognise some of them on your feed. You can interact with those posts or create your own by tapping on the pencil icon on the bottom navigation bar. Many of your favourite Instagram accounts are already on the platform, including The Indian Express, so just look them up and follow them if you haven’t already.
How does Instagram Threads stack up against Twitter?
Instagram Threads is still a minimalist app with few features. For instance, unlike Twitter, which has a sophisticated search function that allows you to explore tweets and trending topics, Threads only lets you search for people to follow. You also can’t send posts directly to other users through Threads like you can on Instagram. However, this is just the beginning of the app’s journey and it will likely evolve with time.
Threads is a spin-off app from Instagram that focuses on conversations rather than visual content. You can log in with your Instagram account and share text updates and join public discussions. The app resembles the Instagram comment section in its design, but offers the features of Twitter, such as replying and re-sharing posts. You can create posts with up to 500 characters (more than Twitter’s 280), links, up to 10 photos, and videos up to 5 minutes long.
You can’t edit threads. Unlike Twitter, Threads does not seem to use hashtags and does not have a trending section.