Meta, the company behind Instagram, has recently introduced Threads, a new social media platform designed to capitalize on the current instability faced by Twitter under Elon Musk’s ownership. Threads is now accessible in over 100 countries via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Similar to Twitter, users can share short text messages that can be liked, reposted, and responded to. However, Threads does not include direct messaging features. Users have the ability to create posts with up to 500 characters, as well as share links, photos, and videos up to five minutes long.
One of the key aspects of Threads is its integration with Instagram, with a strong emphasis on privacy features. Users can choose to display or hide a badge on their Instagram profile, and they can customize privacy settings separately for each app. Notable brands such as Billboard, HBO, NPR, and Netflix, along with celebrities like Shakira and former Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, have swiftly created accounts on Threads. Interestingly, during a Reuters review of the app, no advertisements were observed.
To promote Threads, Meta has actively engaged social media influencers and encouraged them to post at least twice a day. While other platforms like Mastodon, Post, Truth Social, and T2 have attempted to attract Twitter users, they have struggled to gain significant popularity. Bluesky, a new service backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, launched its invite-only beta version in February and reported 50,000 users by April.
However, Meta has faced challenges with previous standalone app launches aimed at competing with rivals. For example, the launch of Lasso, which aimed to rival TikTok, was unsuccessful. In response, Meta has integrated short video functionality directly into Instagram through Reels and downsized its experimental app design unit as part of cost-cutting measures.
Meta, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, United States. The company was established in February 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.