Meta’s Threads: Our First Thoughts

Why are people drawn to Threads?

While we can’t say for sure how many users have left Twitter in favour of Threads, we can say that it looks like a popular choice. Threads seemed to launch at exactly the right time, while users were voicing frustrations over Elon Musk’s changes to Twitter, especially after introducing Twitter Blue. Most recently, Musk imposed limits of how many tweets users could read per day: 1,000 a day for free accounts and 500 for newly created free accounts.

This, along with concerns over the app’s political climate, “free speech vs. hate speech” controversies, and general uncertainty over what changes may come next are making some users rethink their presence on Twitter.

What makes these two apps different?

While Threads has an extremely similar interface to Twitter, we can’t help but notice some key differences. Character limits are slightly larger on Threads (up to 500 characters, compared to Twitter’s 280). Threads also shows a mix of content from users you follow, and algorithmic recommendations. For now, there’s no option to separate the two.

Then there are the features we’re missing: Threads doesn’t support hashtags, direct messages, trending topics, analytics for businesses and creators, or a desktop version of the app. Users are also unable to search for keywords or trends, with the search tab only populating other users’ profiles. Advertising capabilities also aren’t available on Threads just yet. We suspect these will change as the app grows.

Who is Threads’ audience?

This question is still up in the air. When users first create a Threads account, it prompts them to follow all the accounts they follow on Instagram. This results in people following accounts they may have previously followed for their visual content (think artists, foodies, or pet accounts) who are now followed for their thoughts and conversation.

It also has users following a mix of family, friends, colleagues, and peers who they may not have chosen to follow on a typical text-based platform like Twitter. So, the question that remains is – who will you post for? Your professional network, family and friends, or this new, hybrid audience?

 

Parting thoughts

While no one can say with 100% certainty whether Threads will be a “Twitter killer”, what we can recommend with confidence is that organizations should move to secure a presence on Threads. The app has shattered previous initial download records, making it a smart move to put up a sail and capture some of the wind that is blowing.

Whether you’re an organization or thought-leading individual, we can help get you set up and started with content creation and community management - just give us a shout here. In the meantime, toss us a follow on Threads.