Threads by Meta: A Playful Rival to Twitter or Just Another Dumb App?
Let's talk about Threads, where tailors sew digital hype with a touch of laughing gas.
In case you've been living in a cave, there's a new app in town called "Threads" by Meta that's been causing quite the commotion since midnight. And the new tailors sewing the threads are high on the hype!
It feels like Meta added laughing gas inside the app; because everyone there is just hyper. Well, I'm yet to come across an angry person, but I'm sure they'll arrive on a big transport bus soon enough. I also got so caught up in the excitement that I even promised a giveaway before realising I don't have shishi to give away. Wahala!
Before I get carried away, I decided to share my initial thoughts on this app that seems like a playful rival to the Twitter realm. So, let's dive right in!
1. Threads.com or Threads.net?
First things first, you probably didn't notice, but the official Threads website is on threads.net, while there's a previously existing domain, threads.com, which belongs to another product—a supposed alternative to Slack.
Now, from how I see it, this can go two ways. On one hand, threads.net's growing popularity might overshadow threads.com's digital footprint. Because if you search ‘threads’ right now, you will hardly find threads.com, which will frustrate their marketing effort.
It reminds me of the time KUDI.COM had to rebrand to NOMBA.COM, and one of the major reasons was that people were mixing up the brand with KUDA.COM, who obviously had more marketing muscle. Imagine you’re trying to aggressively market your brand ‘KUDI’, and everyone keeps saying “Oh, you mean KUDA?”; Then you have to re-explain, ish!
But on the flip side, it introduces curious souls like myself to the previously unnoticed threads.com, which turns out to be a pretty solid alternative to Slack with its sleek UI. Some peeps will even stumble upon it by mistake while trying to visit the meta’s Threads website. I want to believe that Meta offered to buy the domain, but the team at threads.com, with big dreams to overtake Slack one day, said “NO! Do your worst!” 😂😂
2. Twitter & Its Wahala…
Now, let's address the elephant in the room, Twitter. We all know it has had its fair share of annoyances lately. With the recent changes brought in by its new owner, Elon Musk, it's no wonder some users might feel a bit frustrated.
I’m a big fan of Elon Musk, but lately, it seems he has been smoking weed before going to the Twitter office.
Expressing my personal frustration: I integrate Intercom with various social media, and I noticed that recently, DMs from Twitter no longer go to Intercom. I reached out to Intercom, and they said, “Their technical team had to pause its integration and fixes with the Twitter API because every time they fixed something in the API, another thing would change the following week”.
Another update from Agencyanalytics.
And let's not forget how Elon recently decided to limit the maximum number of daily tweet reads to 600 after smoking two joints of ‘on colos on colos’.
It’s either the rich man was trying to give parental control to adults or indirectly trying to boost Twitter Blue subscriptions.
In short, Threads might just be the refreshing breath of fresh air we've been yearning for. It's already gaining traction among those Instagram users who find Twitter a tad annoying. And as a matter of fact, according to James Clayton from BBC, Threads has the potential to cause some real problems for Twitter.
3. Black and White Like 1842… But I 🧡 The Simplicity…
The app's black-and-white user interface, which gives off a basic vibe at first glance. However, I prefer not to judge an author by his book (see what I did there? 😀).
There's something oddly charming about the simplicity. It creates a clean and straightforward environment where you can comfortably dump your thoughts and move on with your day.
And talking of simplicity, the effort there was intentional. I mean, if you don’t have DMs, you only have to focus on posting on the timeline, which is good for public engagement.
I know people who gave up on Twitter because they felt it was just too clumsy and they didn’t know where to start. Well, Threads is smart enough to give us VERY FEW complicated features to start with, so by the time they introduce more advanced features, we’ll just ease into them gradually.
4. Meta Shooting Meta in the Leg
Note: Added this extra point after 2 more days of using Threads.
I have to say that a noteworthy aspect of Threads is its current user base, which mainly consists of Instagram users. While this may seem like a ‘positive’ for Meta, it can actually be counter-productive.
Personally, I've found myself spending more time on Threads in the past two days and less time on Instagram. And whenever I scroll through Instagram, I’m seeing the same set of people disturbing Threads, and at times, similar posts.
So, contrary to the belief that Threads will steal users from Twitter, I believe it might be stealing more users from Instagram at the moment.
Another point is that most influential Twitter users may face difficulties transitioning to Threads, because, unlike Instagram, their Twitter followers won't automatically migrate with them. This raises the question of whether Meta might be inadvertently shooting itself in the leg by unintentionally diverting Instagram engagement to Threads.
5. Operation Hold Your Phone…
Now, as an avid PC user, I must admit that I wish Threads had a functional web version already. I spend most of my day glued to my computer and constantly reaching for my phone can be quite distracting. But hey, let's keep our hopes up because I'm sure they'll roll out a PC version soon enough. Fingers crossed!
6. Another Gugu +?
Let's have a minute of silence for Google Plus.
If you’re a 2000s younging, you can skip this part since you probably never heard of Google Plus. It’s ‘us’ adults that’ll understand.
I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter online about if this is just another Google Plus in the making.
Taking a moment to reflect on the fate of Google Plus, it's essential to note that Threads might not suffer the same fate. Google Plus failed for various reasons; for one, I’m not sure Google understood what it wanted from that platform. But we can all agree that Mark and Meta know one or two things about running a social media platform and how to make it successful; they’ve done it twice, and I believe they can do it again.
7. Single Account Limitation…
Now, here comes a slight bummer. Unfortunately, Threads doesn't currently support multiple accounts. This limitation can be a letdown for some people with multiple Instagram accounts, including Instagram bullies that open fake anonymous accounts for their trolling activities. Now, it’ll be frustrating to show their skills on Threads. Not to worry; I’m sure they will consider adding multiple account support soon enough.
8. It’s Actually Fun 😁, For Now…
The platform appears fun now because you actually see posts and engagements from the people you follow.
However, there's a potential downside lurking in the shadows, as Threads will definitely soon succumb to the temptation of annoying recommendations. We've all experienced it with Instagram. For example, recently, they’ve been recommending a lot of annoying skits by boring married people to me, and I kept forwarding them to my wife because she finds boring things interesting 🤣, so Instagram thought I enjoy them and kept recommending more, until I have decided to start reporting the posts as ‘I just don’t like it’ 😁.
Lastly, What Am I Saying?
All in all, my experience with Threads has been fun and engaging so far. It offers a promising alternative to Twitter's chaotic landscape, with a user-friendly interface that lets us express ourselves without the unnecessary frills.
But, as with any new app, only time will tell if the fun will remain fun. Nevertheless, we can ride the fun for as long as we can ride the fun, for as long as the fun can remain fun, or for as long as the fun allows us to ride it.
Will I Use It?
Well, I don’t know. For now, I enjoy it. Maybe because I see a lot of familiar faces on the timeline. I might get tired of it pretty fast. But regardless, as a tech enthusiast and digital nomad, I need to be able to tell my kids a thing or two “about one Threads app that used to exist” or “about when the OG Threads was just launched”.
Feel free to follow me on Threads at @Fattbabakay.