Meta’s Threads Surpasses Millions of Signups
Meta’s Threads Surpasses 10 Million Signups in 7 Hours, Posing a Threat to Twitter, Amid Elon Musk’s Criticism. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced that over 10 million people signed up for the newly launched “Threads” app within the first seven hours. This early success indicates that Threads, an offshoot of Instagram, could pose a serious threat to Twitter, which has been plagued by technical issues and unpopular changes recently.
According to Zuckerberg’s update on Threads, the number of sign-ups for Meta’s Twitter competitor reached 2 million in the first two hours, then grew to 5 million in the following two hours, and finally doubled to 10 million at the seven-hour mark. To put this achievement into perspective, it took Facebook 852 days to reach 10 million users, while Twitter accomplished the same milestone in 780 days.
Unlike other Twitter alternatives such as Mastodon or Bluesky, which have more complex sign-up processes, Threads allows users to easily create an account and populate their profiles and follow lists using their existing Instagram accounts.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, who has recently criticized Meta and Zuckerberg, responded to the launch of Threads by suggesting that the app merely copied Twitter’s design. Musk also expressed his preference for dealing with strangers’ attacks on Twitter rather than indulging in the false happiness of Instagram. While the launch of Threads has been successful overall, there have been some glitches, such as Zuckerberg’s timeline failing to load. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri emphasized the need to take both Twitter and Elon Musk seriously, acknowledging the increasing noise and unpredictability surrounding Twitter as a potential opportunity for competitors.
The introduction of Threads comes at a time when Twitter has faced backlash for its unpopular changes and persistent technical issues. Meta has a history of replicating successful features and products from rival platforms, with Instagram Stories being a prime example. Additionally, Meta’s larger global user base, driven by Instagram’s active user count of 2 billion (eight times the size of Twitter), provides a significant advantage over its competitor.
Key Points About Threads
What is Threads?
Threads is a new social media app from Meta that is designed to be a more intimate and personal way to connect with friends and family. It is a text-based app that allows users to share short posts, photos, and videos with a select group of followers.
How is it similar to Twitter?
Threads is similar to Twitter in a number of ways. Both apps allow users to share short posts with a public or private audience. Threads also support photos and videos, like Twitter. However, Threads is designed to be a more personal and intimate experience than Twitter. Posts are limited to 500 characters, and the app is focused on connecting with close friends and family.
How is it different from Instagram?
Threads is also similar to Instagram in some ways. Both apps are owned by Meta, and they both allow users to share photos and videos. However, Threads is a text-based app, while Instagram is a more visual app. Threads is also designed to be a more personal and intimate experience than Instagram. Posts are limited to 500 characters, and the app is focused on connecting with close friends and family.
What are the features of Threads?
Threads offers a number of features, including:
Text posts: Users can share short posts with a limit of 500 characters.
Photos and videos: Users can share photos and videos up to 5 minutes long.
Stories: Users can share disappearing content that will only be visible for 24 hours.
Direct messages: Users can send direct messages to other users.
Threads profiles: Users can create a custom profile that includes their bio, profile picture, and cover photo.
Activity feed: Users can see a feed of all the activity from the people they follow.
Is Threads available now?
Yes, Threads is available now in the US and UK. It is available on iOS and Android devices.
Privacy concerns
Some people have raised privacy concerns about Threads. The app collects a lot of personal data, including health and fitness information, financial information, contacts, browsing history, purchases, and location. Meta has said that it will use this data to improve the app and to show users relevant ads.
Overall, Threads is a new social media app that is designed to be a more intimate and personal way to connect with friends and family. It is similar to Twitter and Instagram in some ways, but it also has some unique features. It is still too early to say how successful Threads will be, but it could be a viable competitor to Twitter and Instagram.
