Meta Threads, Meta Threads, Meta Threads!
These are the two words that have taken the content market on a rollercoaster ride. This event took place on 6 July 2023 where Social media firm Meta launched its Twitter-rival Threads app.
Meta has been marketing it as the new way of sharing to a large audience with ‘text’.
More than 10 hours after its launch, over 14 million people have downloaded the social media app, widely pegged to rival Elon Musk’s Twitter.
What is Meta Threads?
Meta Threads is the new social media app launched by the social media company Meta, which is being called ‘Twitter-Killer’, & mostly targets the audience or users who want to opt out of Elon Musk’s Twitter.
Meta Threads is the new app developed by the Instagram team for sharing text updates & joining public conversations.
To use the Threads app, you need to log in with your Instagram account, and textual content of 500 characters can be shared along with images & videos of a maximum of 5 minutes in length.
Image Credit: Meta
Meta said, “Just like on Instagram, with Meta Threads you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interests – including the people you follow on Instagram and beyond. And you can use our existing suite of safety and user controls.”
The application’s description reads, “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 to share your ideas, opinions, and creativity with the world.”
What’s the meaning of the Meta Threads logo?
While some found it to be similar to the Tamil alphabet letter ‘Ku’, others said that the logo looked like the Malayalam letters ‘Thr’ and ‘Kra’.
Image Credit: Suresh Sivakumar
There was also a group who said that the Meta Threads logo resembled the Hindi letter ‘Om’, which is a sacred symbol in the Hindu religion.
Some even made sardonic remarks claiming that the app’s logo looked like the Indian confectionery jalebi.
Image Credit: Mustafa Patel
While it is easy to see symbolism in these vaguely drawn curvy lines, the answer is not that complicated. The answer in fact lies in the name of the app itself. The logo just represents ‘threads’, tangled together.
How Meta Threads is different from Twitter?
If we take functionality into consideration, Meta Threads is similar to Twitter with some minor changes, but they can have an escalated impact.
- Meta Threads allows you to post text with 500 characters whereas Twitter limits you to 280 characters
- The Meta Threads feed will be algorithmic, which will showcase content from the accounts you follow & recommendations
- Unlike Twitter, Meta Threads does not have paid verification scheme yet, but Instagram’s blue checks will be automatically ported to the Meta Threads account
3 Major improvements in the Meta Threads app:
- Nature of Communication: Meta Threads allow you to connect your posts in a sequential manner, making it easy for longer conversations & storytelling
- Visual Representation: By arranging the newest posts on top, and the oldest below, it makes it easier to tap into the latest content
- Interaction & Engagement: Users can reply to specific points, fostering focused discussions
How to use Meta Threads?
To log in to the Meta Threads app, the user needs to have an Instagram account.
- Keep your Instagram account logged in on your device, then download the Meta Threads app
- Once downloaded the Threads app will give you a prompt to log in with your Instagram account
- You can either choose to update your account information for Threads or you can import it from your existing Instagram account
- After logging in, you will see a similar interface to Twitter, where you can scroll through the field
- At the bottom of the app, you will see 5 options to toggle:
- Home: Where you will see your feed, with the posts from the accounts you follow, and recommendations according to your preferences
- Search: You can search for the accounts you want to follow
- Creating a post: This will allow you to create your post, with 500 characters (alphabets & numbers) & with the help of the attachment option you can attach images & videos of up to 5 minutes in length
- Activity: Here you will see all the notifications, if your account is private you will see the requests to follow you, and you will also get notified about likes & replies you your posts
- Profile: This is similar to the Instagram profile option. The settings option can be accessed from this place. You can also edit your profile info from here
Is Meta Threads really a threat to Elon Musk’s Twitter?
Competition between these two tech giants is going beyond the proposed cage match between Mark Zuckerberg & Elon Musk.
According to Forrester analyst Mike Proulx, Meta is taking advantage of the current wave of dissatisfaction among Twitter users by launching Meta Threads.
Meta Threads is being called the ‘Twitter Killer’, as within 7 hours of its launch, 10 million signups were registered.
“Whether planned or not, Meta’s release of Threads came at the perfect time to give it a fighting chance to unseat Twitter,” said Niklas Myhr, professor of marketing at Chapman University.
Looking at the popularity & high number of monthly active users of the Instagram app itself, it’s no doubt that along with casual users, brands & celebrities will be attracted to Meta Threads. Taking into consideration the current dissatisfaction of Twitter users, it is clear that it might lose its monthly active users.
Mark Zuckerberg’s first tweet in 11 years!
In 11 years this was the first tweet that he shared in his way of announcing the new Meta Thread’s app.
P.S.: Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t have the blue tick on Twitter!
Image Credit: Mark Zuckerberg
Apparently, Elon Musk had challenged Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight, and Mark Zuckerberg responded shortly with his announcement of Meta Threads.
Will Meta Threads be added to the Meta Ads environment?
As of now, there has been no official statement on this matter. But, assuming Twitter gives the option to advertise your tweets, it can’t be denied that similarly can’t be done with the Threads app.
Since it’s based on Meta’s Instagram, there can be various options available as to what options can be available to advertise on the Threads platform.
What data does Meta Threads collect from users?
When it comes to social media platforms, everyone is concerned with the information that is accessed & collected from the user.
Meta Threads being a platform from the Meta family, uses similar privacy policies used by Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Threads collect users’ physical addresses, health and fitness data, and sensitive info like biometric and ethnic data.
How should brands respond to Meta Threads?
“Threads presents a fabulous new place to initiate and participate in conversations around business. A place to learn, grow, collaborate, and share ideas. All without the pressure to be creative, video savvy, a dancer or a great photographer — we’re coming back to big ideas and witty one-liners,” Odette Barry, PR specialist and director of Odette & Co, said to SmartCompany.
Since Threads is newly launched it’s still informal, messy, chaotic but has a playful vibe to it. This is the best time for the brands to experiment with marketing on this platform & analyze the response they get.
It’s where the public is, and the brands need to be there too. Take your time to understand the vibe, the preference likes & dislikes of the users & in time you will get to know what strategy you need to implement to get a good grab on marketing on Meta Threads.
Coming to a conclusion we can say that, Meta Threads is truly in the field to compete with Twitter & looking at the current trends, it won’t be wrong to say that Meta Threads is on the winning side.
This blog is written by Pranit Kamble from the Socinova Team. Images have copyrights of the respective owners.
