Threads, Meta’s Copy of Twitter, Is About to Release

All that’s missing is an official release. Meta is preparing for the arrival of Threads, a social application competing with Twitter and based on your Instagram contact list. Appearing stealthily on the App Store, the application should be launched on July 6, 2023, while the platform managed by Elon Musk continues to infuriate its users.

Screenshots suggest that users will be able to use their Instagram ID to log into Threads and follow their existing contacts, but it will require recreating an entire community. The app appears to largely copy Twitter’s interface, with similar retweet, like, and the ability for users to limit who can reply to messages.

“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from topics you care about today to what’s trending tomorrow. No matter what interests you, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who enjoy the same things — or build your own loyal following to share your ideas, opinions, and creativity with the world”, can we read in description. The threads.net site is also live, but does not currently offer any interaction other than the pre-order of the application on the Apple App Store.

It’s hard to make predictions, but Meta might want to play on a more inclusive and positive approach to make the success of its application, and give a lot of space to accounts that we follow rather than those of strangers. And above all, the firm should strive not to offer paid features. Because since the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, the new policy of the platform irritates, with a collapse of moderation, Twitter Blue accounts which abound, or even failed attempts such as the limitation of the number of consultable tweets, tested this week -end by Musk.

Threads exists since 2019

The Threads brand is not entirely new to Meta. Originally, it was the name of a Meta app launched in 2019 to compete with Snapchat. The product was later discontinued, but Meta retained the brand. If recent history is marked by more or less successful attempts to compete with Twitter, such as BlueSky or Mastodon, Meta can at least count on an already huge user base in its galaxy of social apps.

Obviously, Meta’s quasi-monopoly on social applications is irritating. Zuckerberg and Musk fell apart via social media a few days ago, precisely after Musk’s comments on this subject. Jack Dorsey, former Twitter boss and currently working at BlueSky, took a stab at it, tweeting a screenshot showing the Threads app’s privacy information, with the caption “All your sons belong to us”.

While waiting for Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk to potentially find themselves in an octagon, the Facebook boss is therefore preparing to strike his opponent a first blow. It remains to be seen if he will succeed in migrating Internet users from Twitter to Threads.