Celebrities, politicians, brands, and regular social media users are gravitating towards Meta’s new app, Threads, to engage with their followers. This includes numerous individuals who have grown weary of the controversies linked to Elon Musk’s tumultuous management of Twitter.
However, the crucial query remains: Will they remain loyal to Threads?
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, shared in a Threads post on Monday that within just five days of its release, a staggering 100 million individuals have registered for Threads. This app was introduced as a supplementary platform to Instagram.
Among the many users joining Threads is Ann Coleman, a 50-year-old resident of Baltimore. She discovered the platform through a comedian she follows on social media and decided to join. Coleman has been an avid Twitter user for over a decade and even found her husband on the platform. However, due to Elon Musk’s political views and the changes he has implemented on Twitter, such as disrupting the verification system, Coleman, who identifies as politically progressive, has been seeking an alternative platform. She previously tried Mastodon, a decentralized social network, but found it somewhat perplexing.
Coleman appreciates Threads but expresses a desire to easily connect with all her Twitter friends on the new platform. Threads allows Instagram users to automatically follow the same accounts they do on Instagram, facilitating a similar level of engagement. However, for those starting from scratch, building connections requires more effort.
Coleman stated, “If I’m going to leave Twitter entirely, I’m going to have to try and find some of these people” from Twitter.
While she acknowledges her concerns about Meta, particularly highlighting the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach, among other issues, her unease is not as profound as it is with Musk.
Another user, Michael Evancoe, 28, hasn’t used Twitter extensively since his personal page was suspended years ago for violating the platform’s spam rules. Although he agrees with some of Musk’s modifications on Twitter and created a new account earlier this year, he struggled to attract followers or generate interactions.
Having joined Threads recently, Michael Evancoe shares that he has been able to engage more with other users. However, he expresses the hope that Meta doesn’t overly enforce moderation on the platform, as he believes it could deter interest and engagement.
Meta has stated that it will moderate Threads according to Instagram’s content guidelines. In recent days, the company has positioned the platform as a highly anticipated digital town square, presenting itself as a less toxic alternative to Twitter. Some executives have emphasized that their intention is not to replace Twitter but rather to offer a more appealing option for a wide range of users.
Adam Mosseri stated on Friday, “The goal is to create a public square for communities on Instagram that never really embraced Twitter and for communities on Twitter (and other platforms) that are interested in a less angry place for conversations.”
According to web analytics company SimilarWeb, during the first two full days of Threads’ broad availability (Thursday and Friday of the previous week), Twitter traffic decreased by 5% compared to the same period the previous week and by 11% compared to the same period the previous year. However, SimilarWeb also notes that overall Twitter traffic has been declining even in the absence of Threads.
For Jennifer Billinson, a media studies professor at Nazareth University in New York, the initial days of Threads have revealed a potential clash of cultures, particularly between Twitter refugees and a much larger group of individuals transitioning from Instagram.
According to Jennifer Billinson, the notion that Threads will simply become a clone of Twitter clashes with the reality that Twitter users will be greatly outnumbered on the new platform by Instagram users, who exceed 2 billion monthly users. In comparison, Twitter has approximately 237 million daily users, as reported in its last earnings report.
The potential clash arises from the fact that individuals accustomed to Twitter’s more confrontational culture might easily clash with the more laid-back atmosphere of Instagram users. However, tensions could potentially be eased through platform changes that grant users greater control over their Threads feed. Currently, users largely rely on the Threads algorithm to curate their content.
Despite the influx of users, Brendan Gahan, partner and chief social officer at the creative agency Mekanism, believes it is too early to determine the success of Threads. He also questions whether the rapid growth of the platform is actually a positive development, as some successful platforms have historically adopted a more focused approach and expanded gradually.
The utilization of Threads by influencers and their ability to replicate their existing following from other platforms is also a significant consideration. For instance, Jimmy Donaldson, a popular YouTube content creator known as MrBeast, has already amassed over 4 million followers on Threads. By integrating the new app with Instagram, Meta has made it convenient for content creators to convert their Instagram followers into Threads followers. However, this may result in popular content creators gaining more influence while potentially overshadowing emerging talents who aim to establish their own unique culture on the new platform, as noted by Gahan.
Content creators may also encounter additional challenges as Threads evolves.
Brendan Gahan highlights the potential challenge for content creators who primarily focus on videos and photos when transitioning to a text-oriented platform like Threads. He mentions that some creators tend to repost the same content across platforms, but whether that strategy will be successful remains to be seen.
Asante Madrigal, a content creator who specializes in pop culture, has experimented with Threads by reposting some of his recent videos, including those featuring actress Keke Palmer. However, Madrigal does not currently prioritize Threads because he is unable to monetize his content on the platform. Instead, he intends to concentrate on platforms where he can generate income, such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, where he has a combined following of over 2 million.
Madrigal points out that the Threads algorithm is opaque, and the app still lacks certain features like hashtags and direct messaging between users. He acknowledges that using Threads will require more effort and adaptation.
“I have a lot of friends that do pop culture as well,” Madrigal shares. “And they were just like, ‘Oh, my God, not another app’.”
