Twitter's Newest Rival: What is Meta's Instagram Threads?

The Gist

Revolutionary launch. Meta introduces Instagram Threads, a new text-based conversation app that blends aspects of Instagram with Twitter-like functionalities.
Boundless expression. Threads offers 500-word updates, allowing more in-depth communication than Twitter's 280-character limit, and fosters increased cross-platform connectivity.
Decentralization in sight. Threads plans for future interactivity with the decentralized social networking ecosystem, the fediverse, broadening the scope of social media interconnectivity.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, charts an ambitious course into unknown territory today with a clear target in sight — Elon Musk's social media giant, Twitter — with today’s launch of Threads, a fresh conversational app for Instagram.

As the social media landscape constantly evolves, titans of the industry continually innovate, seeking to stay ahead of the curve and competition. Today’s official release of Meta’s Instagram Threads signals the company’s commitment to stay on the leading edge of digital evolution.

So, you might wonder, what exactly is Instagram Threads and how does it impact you? Let's dive in and explore.

What Is Meta’s Instagram Threads?

Instagram Threads, a text-based conversation app, arrived in preorder in the Apple App store on Monday. Based on screenshots of its description, users can log in through their Instagram account, retain their existing username, continue to follow their current accounts, follow like-minded users and post their thoughts and replies in a style similar to Twitter. It is free to use and will be available on Android and as an Apple iPhone app for iOS 14.0 or later.

Vision for Threads: Open, Interoperable Social Network

In a blog posted July 5, Instagram officials revealed more details about the app:

Threads will roll out today in more than 100 countries for iOS and Android.
The app is available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Those under the age of 16 (18 in some countries) will automatically be defaulted to a private profile
Current Instagram features, including screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions, are enabled on Threads.
In addition to sharing a Threads post to their Instagram story, users can also share the post link on any other platform they choose.
Any accounts you’ve blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads.

Company officials also confirmed that soon, Threads will be compatible with ActivityPub, making it interoperable with other apps that support the ActivityPub protocol (like Mastodon and WordPress), allowing users who stop using Threads to transfer content to another service. ActivityPub is an open, decentralized social networking protocol based on Pump.io's ActivityPump protocol.

“Each compatible app can set its own community standards and content moderation policies, meaning people have the freedom to choose spaces that align with their values,” company officials said in a statement. “We believe this decentralized approach, similar to the protocols governing email and the web itself, will play an important role in the future of online platforms."

How Is Meta’s Instagram Threads Different From Twitter?

Threads will allow users to post updates of up to 500 words, significantly more than Twitter's 280-character limit — and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. Further, while Twitter places a restriction on link-sharing from other platforms, Threads is expected to enable more connectivity between platforms.

Threads was initially expected to be interoperable with Mastodon through the utilization of the decentralized social networking protocol, ActivityPub, but when the platform briefly went live (and before the links were removed) users without an account were able to peruse posts from existing users, including one from Instagram head Adam Mosseri. He noted that ActivityPub would not be featured at launch; however, he indicated that interactions with other fediverse servers would be available in the future.

screenshot of the user interface of Instagram's new Threads, a Twitter competitor.

What Does It Mean to Be a Decentralized Social Network in the Fediverse?

Decentralized social networks are innovative digital platforms that distribute data across numerous independent servers, as opposed to being bound to a solitary, centralized server under corporate control. Mastodon, a Twitter-like entity, and Steem, a network functioning on a social blockchain, are prime examples.

These networks form part of a vast, interconnected ecosystem known as the "fediverse." The fediverse is an amalgamation of interlinked servers that facilitate social networking and other activities, allowing self-governed federated networks to interact with each other seamlessly, embracing the power of collective independence in the digital realm.

When Did Meta Start Working on Instagram Threads?

Following media reports of a new app codenamed “P92," Meta released a statement in March, confirming it was creating a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates — but Meta purportedly began working on it just after Elon Musk took the helm of Twitter last October.

Then in an intriguing revelation last month, Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox reportedly told a gathering of staff and insiders that the application — now known as Threads that launched this week — was the company's strategic answer to the mighty Twitter.

He continued to stir the proverbial "Musk" pot by indicating that their move was influenced by a groundswell of feedback from creators and public figures who wanted a dependable, trustworthy platform “that is sanely run.”

Musk countered by sardonically responding to a variety of Twitter users who had shared the news, replying to one with, “At least it will be 'sane.' Was worried there for a moment.”

Will Instagram Threads Be a Twitter Killer?

Threads emerges into the spotlight at an opportune moment, as Musk navigates a transformative period that has seen certain strategic shifts inadvertently lead to reduced advertiser interest and the distancing of many users, creating a potential opening for this newcomer in the social media landscape.

Alternative sites like Mastodon, Bluesky Social and others have attempted to take on Twitter, but they have yet to reach the number of users needed to cause Musk any concern. However, following Musk’s announcement that Twitter would limit free accounts to reading 600 tweets per day due to issues like “data scraping,” Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko posted that the platform’s active users tripled over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, with around 294K new sign-ups and returning users.

But while Twitter has around 450 million monthly active users, Instagram has more than two billion. Instagram is a hub for brands — its own brand account has nearly 600 million followers.

And as a hotbed for promotions, celebrities and product endorsements, it’s no wonder digital marketers swarm to it like bees to honey, making it the second most used social media platform by marketers in 2022, according to Statista (second only to Facebook) — with 79% of marketers saying they used the app to promote their businesses.

How to Access Meta's Instagram Threads

To get started with Threads, you'll need an existing Instagram account to download the Threads application from the iOS or Android stores or you can set up your account directly on the Threads website. Your Threads account will adopt the same username as your Instagram account for consistency.

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