Threads (social network)

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Threads
Screenshot
The Threads account page for Wikipedia
Type of site
Social networking platform
Available in31[1] languages
List of languages
Area servedUnited States
and 99 other countries[2]
(excluding the European Union, China, Iran and Russia)[3]
OwnerMeta Platforms[4]
URLthreads.net
RegistrationRequired
Users115 million (as of July 18, 2023)[5]
LaunchedJuly 5, 2023; 14 days ago (2023-07-05)
Current statusActive
Native client(s) on
This article is part of a series about
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Threads is an American social media platform and social networking service owned and operated by Meta Platforms. The app offers users the ability to post and share text, images, and videos, as well as to interact with other users' posts through replies, reposts, and likes. Closely linked to Meta platform Instagram and additionally requiring users to both have an Instagram account and use Threads under the same Instagram handle, Threads functionality is similar to Twitter and has further been described as a "Twitter killer".[6] The application is available on iOS and Android devices with full functionality, while the web version offers limited functionality. It gained 100 million users within its first five days, surpassing the record previously set by ChatGPT.[7][8][9]

After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, Meta employees explored the concept of introducing text-based functionality to Instagram. This feature, known as Instagram Notes, was rolled out in December 2022.[10] The company subsequently began developing a separate app focused on text-based posts. Development on Threads—internally known as "Project 92"—commenced in January 2023, with the platform officially launching on July 5, 2023.

Threads immediately became available in 100 countries, but has delayed its launch in the European Union as it waits for regulatory clarity from the European Commission regarding the service's data collection policies.[3][11]

History

Predecessor

Further information: Threads (application)

In October 2019, Threads was introduced through Instagram as a separate app available for Android and iOS. This app allowed users to communicate through messaging and video chats, resembling Snapchat's functionality.[12] However, Instagram discontinued this version of Threads in December 2021.[13]

Elon Musk acquires Twitter

In October 2022, entrepreneur Elon Musk acquired Twitter and announced significant changes to the platform's content moderation policies. At the same time many users were seeking alternative microblogging services like Mastodon, Tumblr, and Hive Social.[14]

Development

In November 2022, Meta employees started discussing the possibility of creating a separate app for Instagram Notes, an upcoming text-based feature designed for Instagram.[15] Development for this separate app began in January 2023 under the codename "P92". Moneycontrol obtained information about the app in March, and it was revealed publicly in June 2023 when The Verge published details from an internal company-wide meeting at Meta Platforms. The project, referred to as "Project 92", was described by Chris Cox, the Chief Product Officer at Meta Platforms, as their response to Twitter. The company had reportedly secured commitments from some celebrities and was in talks with Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama.[16]

Announcement

In July, developer Alessandro Paluzzi tweeted about the release of Project 92 on the Google Play Store under the name Threads. However, the app was taken down shortly after. Paluzzi shared several screenshots of the app's features.[17] On July 3, Threads appeared on the Apple App Store with a release date set for July 6.[18] This launch coincided with changes on Twitter, specifically regarding the number of tweets that could be viewed per day.[19] Additionally, an official website at threads.net was discovered, featuring a countdown clock leading up to the service's launch and links to download the app. The countdown expired on July 5 at 7:00 p.m. EDT,[20] and Threads officially launched in 100 countries on that day.[2] Meta Platforms is currently awaiting regulatory clarification from the European Commission due to concerns and uncertainties regarding the service's data collection policies.[2][3]

Launch

Within a day of its launch, Threads garnered thirty million users, surpassing the previous record set by ChatGPT and making it the fastest-growing platform in history.[8] On the same day, lawyers representing Twitter threatened legal action against Meta Platforms, alleging that the company had used trade secrets to develop the Threads app.[8]

Data privacy

The data collection policies of Threads have garnered criticism, with experts raising concerns over the amount of private information collected by the app, as well as previous controversies surrounding Meta's use of user data.[21]

Appearance and features

Designed as a platform for real-time conversations and sharing, Threads aims to provide users with a similar experience to Twitter. Threads prioritizes public dialogues over private communications, commonly known as microblogging, and is closely linked to Instagram, its sister social networking service.[18] Users can create posts consisting of up to 500 characters of text or 5 minutes of video content (compared to Twitter's 280 characters of text and 2 minutes 20 seconds of video content for non-paying users).[2][22] However, Threads lacks other common social media features, such as hashtags, trending stories, and direct messaging.[22]

In response to user feedback, Threads will introduce a new home feed for posts along with several updates to the social media app. These changes will include the capability to edit posts, translation into multiple languages and an improved user interface for switching between different Threads accounts.[23]

Threads has the same community guidelines as Instagram,[24] which bans content such as nudity, sexual intercourse and recreational drugs.[25]

Account integration with Instagram

Threads accounts are closely integrated with Instagram accounts. By default, Threads and Instagram accounts share the same username, profile picture, and display name, although the profile picture and display name can be customized. Users can choose which accounts they follow on Instagram will carry over to Threads, either with the other person's Threads account already created or set to automatically follow them once an account is created.[26] As of July 2023, if a user decides to terminate their Threads account, they must delete their associated Instagram account as well.[27] Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, has acknowledged this limitation and stated that they are exploring options for a user to delete only their Threads account.[28]

Users are required to have an Instagram account to use Threads. Threads is a companion app to Instagram, and it uses Instagram to authenticate the user's identity and connect with their network.[22]

ActivityPub protocol

If the service becomes compatible with the ActivityPub protocol, as planned,[29] Threads accounts would be accessible through their full address, @username@threads.net, by users of other fediverse platforms like Mastodon.[30] Threads users are also expected to have control over who can reply to their posts, ensuring that this feature remains exclusive to Threads and is not shared with any federating service.[31][better source needed] Instagram's Adam Mosseri has stated that Threads accounts will be portable, allowing users to leave and take their followers with them.[32][better source needed] This makes Threads the first social platform aiming to create a fully composable social graph on the scale of billions of people.

Device compatibility

Threads is available on mobile clients for Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms.[33] Additionally, there is a web front-end that enables users to access profiles and posts, although it lacks the capability to log in and view the app's timeline.

International availability

Threads is currently unavailable in the European Union.[34] Meta is also blocking access to Threads to EU-based users, even if the user uses a VPN to bypass the blocking.[35] In Iran, the government has blocked Threads, adding it to the extensive list of censored social media platforms in the country.[36] Despite being subject to censorship by the Great Firewall in China, Threads reached the top four free social apps on the Chinese App Store.[37] Russia blocked Threads one day after its launch.[38]

Userbase

Since its launch, Threads has grown rapidly, reaching 100 million users after 5 days,[39][40] however the number of daily active users has dropped by 20% since the initial 5 days,[41] as well as a 50% reduction in user engagement.[42]

Users (millions)251020307090100
Time since launch2 hours4h7h12h16h2 days4d5d
References[43][43][44][45][43][46][7][39][40]

Litigation

Copyright dispute with Twitter

On the day of Threads' launch, Twitter issued a legal threat against it claiming that it infringes on Twitter's intellectual property rights. In a letter directed to Meta's CEO, Twitter's lawyer alleged that Meta recruited numerous former Twitter employees who had access to Twitter's trade secrets and confidential information.[47] Meta has denied these allegations, asserting that no former Twitter employees are involved in the Threads engineering team.[48] Twitter also asked Meta to honor its robots.txt file and not crawl or scrape its data.[49][50]

See also

References

  1. ^ Noor, Saleha (July 6, 2023). "Instagram wants to take over a drama-laden Twitter with Threads". Wired. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Milmo, Dan (July 6, 2023). "Threads app: Instagram owner launches Twitter rival in 100 countries". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Milmo, Dan (July 5, 2023). "Meta delays EU launch of Twitter rival Threads amid uncertainty over personal data use". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "Meet Rousseau Kazi, the Bangladeshi-born CEO and Co-Founder of the other 'Threads'". Archived from the original on July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  5. ^ "Threads User Count Tracker". quiverquant.com.
  6. ^ Isaac, Mike (July 5, 2023). "Threads, Instagram's 'Twitter Killer,' Has Arrived". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Gomez, Dessi (July 8, 2023). "Meta's Threads Crosses 90 Million Signups in 4 Days". TheWrap. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Isaac, Mike (July 6, 2023). "Threads Becomes Most Rapidly Downloaded App, Raising Twitter's Ire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Ray, Siladitya (July 10, 2023). "Threads Now Fastest-Growing App In History—With 100 Million Users In Just Five Days". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Perez, Sarah (December 13, 2022). "Instagram now supports text updates with launch of Notes, adds other new sharing features". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Kelly, Samantha (July 6, 2023). "Meta officially launches Twitter rival Threads. 30 million have joined already". CNN Business. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  12. ^ Yurieff, Kaya (October 3, 2019). "Instagram takes another page from Snapchat's playbook with new Threads app". CNN Business. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Espósito, Filipe (November 17, 2021). "Instagram discontinuing its Threads direct messaging app next month". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Perez, Sarah (November 21, 2022). "Twitter alternative Hive hits 1 million users after surge of sign-ups". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Huang, Kalley (December 7, 2022). "Twitter's Rivals Try to Capitalize on Musk-Induced Chaos". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  16. ^ Heath, Alex (June 8, 2023). "This is what Instagram's upcoming Twitter competitor looks like". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  17. ^ Davis, Wes (July 1, 2023). "Meta's Twitter competitor, Threads, briefly showed up on Google Play". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Isaac, Mike (July 4, 2023). "Meta's 'Twitter Killer' App Is Coming". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  19. ^ Tinoco, Armando (July 3, 2023). "Instagram's Twitter Rival Threads Appears In Apple's App Store With Launch Date Set". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  20. ^ Lawler, Richard (July 5, 2023). "The Instagram Threads launch countdown jumped forward and is now targeting 7 PM ET". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  21. ^ Bhuiyan, Johana (July 11, 2023). "As Threads app thrives, experts warn of Meta's string of privacy violations". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  22. ^ a b c McCallum, Shiona (July 10, 2023). "Threads app signs up 100m users in less than a week". BBC News. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  23. ^ "Meta plans feed for Threads after users complain". BBC. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "Threads Terms of Use". Instagram. June 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "Community Guidelines". Instagram. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  26. ^ Yang, Angela (July 6, 2023). "Instagram Threads is live, threatening Twitter's reign: What to know about the new Meta app". NBC News. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  27. ^ "People are realising something really worrying about Threads". The Independent. July 6, 2023. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  28. ^ Moon, Mariella (July 7, 2023). "Meta is working to stop deleted Threads accounts from nuking Instagram too". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  29. ^ Bell, Karissa. "Meta's Threads app is here to challenge Twitter". Engadget. Yahoo. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  30. ^ Warren, Tom (July 5, 2023). "Instagram's Twitter competitor, Threads, briefly went live on the web". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  31. ^ Bradshaw, Kyle (July 4, 2023). "Threads, Meta's Twitter clone, starts launch countdown, plus a few details on how it works". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  32. ^ Mehta, Ivan (July 5, 2023). "Adam Mosseri says Meta's Threads app won't have ActivityPub support at launch". TechCrunch. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023. you may one day end up leaving Threads, or, hopefully not, end up de-platformed. If that ever happens, you should be able to take your audience with you to another server.
  33. ^ Isaac, Mike (July 5, 2023). "Threads, Instagram's 'Twitter Killer,' Has Arrived". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  34. ^ Feiner, Lauren (July 6, 2023). "Threads, Meta's Twitter competitor, is not yet available in the EU due to regulatory concerns". CNBC. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  35. ^ Mehta, Ivan (July 14, 2023). "Meta confirms it is blocking EU-based users from accessing Threads via VPN". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  36. ^ "Iran Blocks Public Access to Threads App; Raisi's Account Created". VOA. July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  37. ^ "Meta's Threads tops China's App Store despite Great Firewall ban". South China Morning Post. July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  38. ^ "Russia Blocks Meta's Twitter Competitor App – Lawmaker". The Moscow Times. July 8, 2023.
  39. ^ a b Peters, Jay (July 10, 2023). "Instagram's Threads surpasses 100 million users". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  40. ^ a b Ray, Siladitya. "Threads Now Fastest-Growing App In History—With 100 Million Users In Just Five Days". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  41. ^ Field, Hayden (July 13, 2023). "Meta Threads engagement has dropped off since red-hot debut, tracking firms say". CNBC. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  42. ^ "Threads engagement plunges while Twitter launches revenue-sharing model". Proactiveinvestors UK. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  43. ^ a b c Isaac, Mike (July 6, 2023). "Threads Becomes Most Rapidly Downloaded App, Raising Twitter's Ire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  44. ^ Ray, Siladitya. "Zuckerberg Says Threads Crossed 10 Million Signups In First Seven Hours As Musk Rails Against Instagram". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  45. ^ Schoon, Ben (July 6, 2023). "Meta's Threads passed 20 million users within 12 hours, and it's not slowing down". 9to5Google. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  46. ^ "Zuckerberg claims tens of millions of Threads signups within days of launch - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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  48. ^ Olson, Emily (July 7, 2023). "Twitter threatens to sue its new rival, Threads, claiming Meta stole trade secrets". NPR. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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  50. ^ Claburn, Thomas (July 6, 2023). "From cage fight to page fight: Twitter threatens to sue Meta after Threads app launch". The Register.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Threads (app).

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Presented content of the Wikipedia article was extracted in 2023-07-19 based on https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=74217316