Instagram Launches Threads App, Head On Competition against Twitter

Instagram with its new app ‘Thread’ plans to emerge as a competitor to Twitter with the feature of sharing texts, links, and engaging conversations by users.

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: July 06, 2023

Instagram, which is owned by Meta Platforms Inc., has debuted Threads, a brand-new app specifically created to directly compete with Twitter. This launch represents Elon Musk's social media platform's biggest challenge to date. Instagram's recently released Threads app allows users to share links and texts. They can also participate in conversations by reposting or replying to messages from other users. Users may easily transfer their account names and existing follower lists from Instagram. As we all know Meta-owned Instagram is a popular social media site for photo and video-sharing with more than 2 billion users, including well-known celebrities, businesses, and content creators.

In a post on Threads on Wednesday, Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg remarked that there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. Twitter has had the chance to achieve this, but it has not succeeded, asserting that Meta will. Many influential users on Instagram have requested a text-based app, claims vice president of product, Connor Hayes. Without addressing Twitter specifically, Hayes said in an interview that creators were telling him that they want an alternative to what's out there. Also, they do not want to start over and put in efforts to regain a following from zero.

Instagram and Facebook, two platforms controlled by Meta, have developed a reputation for successfully copying the features of new internet rivals. Notably, Instagram's Reels feature was created as a direct competitor to the well-known viral video app TikTok. It came out with the feature of 'Stories' to counter the popularity of Snap Inc.'s Snapchat, which allows for disappearing posts. By encouraging news outlets, politicians, and other well-known people to prioritize posting on their platforms rather than Twitter, Meta's earlier apps have indirectly competed with it. This tactic is to pick users' interests and involvement.

However, the introduction of Threads marks a key turning point for Meta since it is the first time the firm has publicly released a Twitter-like application that naturally targets the user base and functionality of the microblogging juggernaut. Given that Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion in October, Meta's timing seems advantageous. Since then, the business has undergone considerable changes, including terminating several staff members, implementing more lenient content moderation procedures, and placing various technical difficulties upon advertisers and users.

Elon Musk pointed out in March that Twitter is facing financial difficulties due to a sharp fall in advertising revenue. The San Francisco-based company's advertising revenue has dropped by a startling 50%. Musk just named Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO. She is a former NBCUniversal executive. Musk has done so to solve these problems and improve partnerships with companies. Twitter currently places restrictions on the number of tweets users can watch each day, even with the introduction of Threads. This restriction has been put in place as a temporary safeguard against data bots and scrapers.

These limitations are merely the most recent action forcing Twitter users to look for substitutes. However, the majority of the firm's former direct competitors, like Bluesky and Mastodon, need to develop networks large enough to offer posts the reach and influence they have on Twitter. Many new alternative networks are still developing their procedures for controlling violent, inappropriate, and harmful content. Thanks to the infrastructure that Instagram already has in place, Threads will launch with all those established business systems.

The app will follow Instagram's content policies and offer the same options for blocking and muting accounts that post harassing content. Public figures with verified Instagram profiles are still eligible for blue badges on Threads. Twitter made verification a paid-only function earlier this year. People want more control and safety in product design from the start. The fact that Threads is based on the same ActivityPub social networking decorum as Mastodon and some of the known decentralized social media apps is another selling feature, continued Hayes.

This implies that users who grow their followings on Threads will soon be able to utilize the app to engage with a larger audience outside of Instagram. It will be the first Meta app to work with competitor products, though Hayes did not specify when that update will be made. Threads are also being introduced without advertisements because the priority right now is to generate as much interest in the product as possible.