Threads, the highly anticipated new Instagram app that will crush Twitter, has arrived. And it looks a lot like Twitter. That is precisely the point.
With the app going through a particularly difficult period in what many consider to be a rapidly deteriorating product under the leadership of Elon Musk, many social media users are ready, even desperate, for a reliable replacement for Twitter. The corporation began limiting the number of tweets people can see last weekend, a dubious corporate move that was largely unpopular with users. While other alternatives exist, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, none have reached the level of popularity that rivals Twitter among a significant number of politically and culturally influential people.
Therefore, Instagram, which is owned by Meta, decided to act quickly. The Threads app’s release date was originally scheduled for later this month, but was later pushed back to this Thursday and then later today. In 100 countries, the app will begin to be made available to users, though reportedly not in the European Union (more on that later).
Instagram’s parent company, Meta, explained its plan for Threads in a blog post on the company’s website on Wednesday. “Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand it into text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas,” said Meta.
With a few minor exceptions, Threads works similar to Twitter. Short posts can be up to 500 characters and contain photos, links, and videos up to five minutes long. Your thread feed will be algorithmic, so it will be made up of a combination of the users you follow and suggested things, just like Instagram is right now. You have the option on Twitter to switch between an algorithmic feed and a chronological feed of just the people you follow. But overall, the apps look and feel very similar, based on early app screenshots shared with Vox.
The fact that Threads strives to be decentralized is the main feature that sets it apart from Twitter. To put it another way, you should eventually be able to embed your Threads posts on other social media platforms like Mastodon. Twitter, which has been limiting open API access to third-party developers, is very different from this. However, Meta claims that compatibility is not complete yet. It’s also not about who is writing on it, how easy it is to use, or what many regular users are most interested in.
How is the actual functionality of this new software? Does it really have a chance to surpass Twitter?
How to use it and how is it?
You must download Threads as a standalone app from the Apple or Android store in order to use it.
Once you have downloaded the app, you can log in with your Instagram account and select to follow the same users that you follow on Instagram. One of Threads’ biggest advantages over other Twitter replacement programs is this: On Instagram, more than 2 billion people already have a built-in social network, so unlike, say, Mastodon, you don’t need to get started. from scratch with his fan base.
There are many connections between the worlds of Threads and Instagram. Your Instagram verification, which you can now purchase, will carry over to Threads. Also, you can share links to other platforms or stories from your threads on Instagram.
Once inside, it works pretty much like Twitter, albeit with a more Instagram-like aesthetic that uses the same font and iconography as Instagram. A topic can be like, reply, or repost. According to Meta, the feed will include suggested content from people you follow and content from people you don’t follow.
Instagram needs to get the algorithm for the Threads feed correctly. Many users have expressed their dissatisfaction with Twitter’s “For You” feed, saying it displays too much content from unrelated users that they don’t want to see and who miss Twitter’s default chronological feed. We’ll compare user reactions to posts that Threads thinks users want to see with those that users have opted to see.
What does Threads’ decentralized approach mean?
The first Meta app that promotes “decentralization” is Threads. He argues that users should be able to move their social media information and interact with other users across multiple applications that are based on the same fundamental standards.
The best-known decentralized social network is Mastodon, whose proponents claim it can lead to a better internet free from the control of a single social media giant. Similar to how Threads intends to operate, it will be decentralized.
But it’s not there yet.
Threads will work with the ActivityPub protocol at some point “soon,” the company stated in a blog post. It is a framework created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a global consortium that sets standards for the contemporary Internet, to control how social networks can function independently.
One day, you should be able to make Threads posts appear on Mastodon or WordPress, or vice versa, and allow users to comment on them from both apps. In theory, a new app could import all your stuff if you stopped using Threads altogether.
“We believe that this decentralized approach, similar to the protocols that govern email and the web itself, will play an important role in the future of online platforms,” Meta stated in a blog post.
Decentralization is a hot topic in tech right now, which may help Threads appeal to a more tech-savvy audience. Decentralization, however, is not familiar to most users, who presumably do not give it much thought. How many people actually download the app and enjoy using it matters most, which brings us to the next topic.
Regulatory concerns and other obstacles
When it comes to launching this app globally, Meta faces significant reputational and regulatory challenges.
For example, according to Bloomberg, Meta is delaying the launch of Threads in the EU for now due to regulatory uncertainty in the EU caused by the new Digital Markets Law. The statute places restrictions on what large companies designated as “gatekeepers” can do.
“Europe continues to be a very important market for Meta. Impending regulatory uncertainty has contributed to our decision not to launch Threads at this time, a Meta spokeswoman said in a statement to Vox. We are planning to release Threads in more countries and will continue to evaluate whether to debut in Europe.
Regarding privacy concerns, Meta stated in a blog post that anyone under the age of 16 (or 18 in some regions) will join Threads with a secret profile by default. Instagram stated that it is giving users the same security options they already have on Instagram to limit who can mention or reply to you, hide certain abusive language in replies, and unfollow, block, or restrict accounts.
However, as the EU difficulties demonstrate, Instagram will need to overcome something that a few privacy and security features alone cannot do: fundamental faith in its parent company, which has been shaken by controversy over how it manages data. of users since then. the Cambridge Analytica debacle of 2018.
Furthermore, Threads will need to persuade a critical mass of users that it is not only trustworthy but also timely. The appeal of Twitter was that it provided a forum for discussion of current events among powerful world leaders, sarcastic writers, A-list celebrities, and regular people who were online all the time. Threads will need culture builders who can create short, engaging 500 character posts to achieve the same effect.
Twitter uses words, not images, as its social currency, in contrast to Instagram. Meta has invited big celebrities to use an older version of the app. According to Meta, notables like Malala Yousafzai, Shakira, and Gordon Ramsay have already used it. Threads may have the best chance of any current Twitter competitor, and you’ll need more influencers whose opinions count and followers who pay attention to them.
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Categories: Technology
Source: vtt.edu.vn