Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has finally launched Threads. This application has now become Twitter’s newest and most direct rival and its launching comes right after Elon Musk’s platform set up reading limits for its users. Threads now offers longer posts, text-based conversations, and a following system for users that resembles Twitter. The brand-new app seeks to catch the attention of the people who left its competitorr in the middle of all the backlash for the tweet reading restrictions.
Mark Zuckerberg forwarded the release of the app by 15 hours and it is now free to download in 100 countries on the Apple and Google stores. However, it is still unavailable in the EU due to regulatory measurements. According to Meta, Threads is visually and aesthetically similar to Twitter, as it is a text-based messaging app where users will be able to post short messages, like other posts, comment, repost, and upload videos and pictures.
In addition, Threads offers 500 characters long messages, in comparison to 280 words for most Twitter users. The videos uploaded to Zuckerberg’s newest app can be 5 minutes long, and their posts can be shared on other platforms. Users will have basic options such as unfollowing, blocking, restricting, or reporting other users, and most importantly, they are not restricted to viewing limits of any sort, in comparison to Musk’s app.
Meta stated that Threads is set to start a new era of diverse and interconnected networks. As such, the app has links to Instagram and Mastodon in different ways. For example, to create an account in Threads, people will need an Instagram account to log in and will be able to have the same usernames and follow the same contacts, provided that they have the app as well. For Mastodon, users will be able to transfer their content and create mini-communities between the two apps. About these functionalities, Meta said:
“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow, Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”