Meta’s Threads has quickly become a popular social media platform since its official release to the public, with millions of users flocking to the service in the first few hours. Meta’s new copycat project comes when Twitter has been facing backlash from users after Elon Musk took over the platform, directly positioning itself as a worthy competitor.
However, can Threads thrive where so many have tried and failed? Could it replace Twitter? Below, we’ll discuss why Twitter should worry about Meta’s Threads.
1. Instagram’s Massive User Base
One of the most frustrating things you might experience after downloading a new social media app is feeling like you’re the only one using it as you struggle to find the people in your circle. This is one of thereasons many Twitter alternatives struggle to succeed.
MrBeast, the popular YouTube star, has already jumped onto the service, and amassed one million followers within hours of joining the platform, winning the Guinness World Record for the fastest user to reach a million followers on Threads.
2. Threads' Familiar UI
With a clean, minimalist UI and features like comments, reposts, and likes, Meta’s Threads offers users a fresh feel and start but in a familiar environment. The platform has been designed to quickly onboard users, as seen with the effortless signup, the ease of use, and the fact that there’s no need to rebuild your follower base from scratch—you just continue where you left off on Instagram.
It’s no wonder Threads has already attracted millions of users, which should be a cause for concern for Twitter. Moreover, it’s safe to assume that more will follow soon, considering its symbiotic relationship with Instagram and its large user base.
3. Twitter Critics Are Seeking a New Refuge
Elon Musk has made several changes to Twittersince he took over, some of which were widely criticized by users. One of the most recent changes islimiting the number of posts Twitter users can see daily, making the platform particularly hostile to content creators and advertisers.
Threads' launch is perfectly timed for disgruntled Twitter users seeking a new refuge, especially considering several Twitter alternatives have tried and failed to dethrone it. Threads has already positioned itself as a viable alternative to Twitter and it will be interesting to see how the platform evolves.
4. Threads Plans to Be Part of the Fediverse
Meta seems to view the billions of Instagram users as a jumping-off point, as it intends to expand Threads' reach by joining the Fediverse. Butwhat exactly is the Fediverse?The Fediverse is an interconnected collection of servers that allows users to communicate with each other.
The idea behind joining the Fediverse is to allow Threads users to interact with other people across platforms in the Fediverse. For example, this means you could use your Threads profile to follow or be followed by other people using different servers (or platforms like Mastodon) on the Fediverse, just like you can use your Gmail account to communicate with someone using otherpopular email providerslike Microsoft Outlook or Yahoo Mail.
5. Meta’s Vast Resources
Twitter has a reason to be concerned about Threads due to the significant backing it receives from Meta. While Threads is still a relatively new platform with limited features, it can gain from Meta’s decades of experience and vast financial resources.
When it comes to experience, Facebook’s parent company has a history of successfully incorporating features from other platforms. One example is Stories on Instagram, which was originally a feature introduced by Snapchat. In addition, Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular platforms for advertisers and content creators, giving Meta a monetization advantage compared to Twitter.
Therefore, knowing Meta’s well-established business, it’s only a matter of time before it starts rolling out new features to make Threads a significantly better alternative for advertisers.
Is Twitter Hanging on a Thin Thread?
Meta’s Threads is off to a great start and shows no signs of slowing down. While we have covered some reasons why Twitter should be wary of Threads, it’s important to note that this is still early days for the platform, and it certainly needs some essential features to be a Twitter killer.
For now, Twitter remains the de facto microblogging platform for millions of users, but the social networking giant should certainly take notice of Threads and its potential threats.
