BBC NEWS
Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg has said that the company’s newly-launched Threads app aims to outrival Twitter.
Experts say Threads could attract Twitter users unhappy with recent changes to the platform.
Threads – which is not launching in the European Union for now – allows users to post up to 500 characters, and has many features similar to Twitter.The app passed five million sign-ups in its first four hours, Mr Zuckerberg said.
Earlier, he said that keeping the platform “friendly… will ultimately be the key to its success”.
But Twitter chief Elon Musk responded: “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram.”
When asked on Threads whether the app will be “bigger than Twitter”, Mr Zuckerberg said: “It’ll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it.
“Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully we will.”
Competitors have criticised the amount of data the app might use. This may include health, financial, and browsing data linked to users’ identities, according to the Apple App Store.
Threads is now available to download in over 100 countries including the UK, but not yet in the EU because of regulatory concerns.
‘Initial version’
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, called the new app an “initial version”, with extra features planned including the ability to interact with people on other social media apps like Mastodon.
“Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text,” the firm said prior to its launch.
Despite Threads being a standalone app, users log in using an Instagram account. Their Instagram username carries over, but there is an option to customize their profile specifically for Threads.
Users will also be able to choose to follow the same accounts they do on Instagram, Meta says. The app allows users to be private on Instagram, but public on Threads.
The new app’s release comes after criticism of Meta’s business practices.
Last year, Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen said the company had put “profits over safety” and criticised how the platform was moderated.
The company was also rocked by a scandal in which it allowed third parties, including British political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, to access Facebook users’ personal data.
In an apparent reference to this controversial past, Mr Musk joked on Monday “thank goodness they’re so sanely run”.
There are several alternatives to Twitter available, such as Bluesky and Mastodon, but these have struggled to gain traction.
Threads has a significant advantage because it is connected to Instagram, and the hundreds of millions of users already on that platform.
How does Threads work?
On Threads, posts can be shared to Instagram and vice versa and can include links, photos, and videos of up to five minutes in length.
However, some early users on Wednesday reported problems when uploading images, hinting at teething problems.
Users see a feed of posts, which Meta calls “threads”, from people they follow as well as recommended content.
They are able to control who can “mention” them and filter out replies to posts that contain specific words.
Unfollowing, blocking, restricting or reporting other profiles is also possible…
