Meta’s adventure into the Twitterverse has never been more intriguing. From Snapchat’s Stories to TikTok’s Reels, they’ve dipped their toes into every pool of inspiration since 2016. Now, they’ve turned their attention to Twitter with Threads, their latest text-based platform
Threads stormed into the limelight at its launch, boasting a jaw-dropping 100 million users in a mere 5 days—a milestone that took Twitter 5 years to reach.
And all that without even launching in the EU yet due to privacyconcerns. This rapid success is tied to the platform’s sign-up process,where you can create an account by simply logging in with your Instagram credentials, avoiding the need to start from scratch.
This move seamlessly transfers your existing Instagram circles to Threads, sparing you the effort of rebuilding a community or finding your mutuals on a new platform – a stroke of genius that fueled its rapid rise to fame.
While Threads gathered a massive audience base at lightning speed, it is still in the race to the starting line in terms of available features. Right now, users can post 500-character ‘threads’, images, videos and GIFs- up to 10 media items at once.
However, there’s a long list of ‘oops, we’re missing these’ at the moment: No long videos, direct messages, live audio rooms, alt image text, hashtags, full web version support (it’s read-only), the muchdebated edit button, post search, or a ‘following’ feed. The home feed is currently an algorithmic mix of content from accounts a user follows and others deemed interesting. But don’t worry, changes are on the horizon
Here are the features that are currently on the Thread’s development team to-do list
Edit Option: Users will have the ability to make changes to their posts without reuploading their Thread, ensuring hassle-free editing
Enhanced Post Search: This will enable users to find specific content and discover relevant conversations on trending topics effortlessly
Account Deactivation: Users will be able to deactivate their Thread account while keeping their entire Instagram profile intact, eliminating the need for a complete deletion
Hashtags, Voice Notes, and Tagging: These upcoming features aim to enhance content discoverability, encourage engagement and add expressive communication options
Branded Content and Partner Tags: This will open up opportunities for brands to run influencer campaigns on the app while adhering to evolving disclosure rules
Following Feed: This will enable users to view threads from accounts they follow, not algorithmic ones
Advertising: As of now, Threads has no plans to introduce ads until its user base reaches a critical mass
Rate Limit: In an aim to address spam attacks, Threads will be implementing rate limits on daily post viewing —a strategy akin to Twitter’s recent implementation, which faced backlash
ONLINE CONVERSATIONS
As data enthusiasts, we conducted a social listening exercise on Threads to gauge its online buzz since launch. The graph represents the global public online conversation volume about Threads
As expected, the timeline shows an impressive spike in conversations about Threads when it launched on July 6th, remaining high until July 10th. After that, the volume fluctuated, with varying levels of interest tied to news about upcoming features
The themes of conversation varied, but one thing stood out: users had a ‘love it or leave it’ affair with the platform. Some hopped back and forth between Instagram and Twitter, while others found themselves sprinting back to Twitter, feeling a bit let down by Threads’ initial hype.
Memes, being users’ preferred social media language, flooded the conversation, with users joking about Elon Musk’s huge investments in Twitter and Meta’s uncanny success in the replication game. Additionally, an Arabic poll hashtag, #TwitterOrThreads further ignited the conversation, as users compared both platforms, with many rooting for the former and disliking Meta’s history of cloning successful features instead of innovating.
“WE HAVE STARTED CREATING ORIGINAL CONTENT EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE PLATFORM”
OUR TAKE
The initial buzz might have quieted down a bit, but let’s not forget that they’ve already attracted over 100 million users. That’s pretty impressive in itself. As is outpacing Twitter’s sign-ups in just one day. But they’re definitely not done yet.
With new features still in the pipeline, we’re eagerly waiting to see Instagram’s next moves. The key is to keep the momentum going and surprise us with fresh updates. Especially features that aren’t available on Twitter. So, while the hype might have cooled off a bit, we’re excited to see what Threads has in store for us next
At Netizency, we’re diving headfirst into the Threads adventure. We are working with most of our clients to ‘test and learn’ on the platform. We have started creating original content exclusively for the platform; and so far it has been getting great traction.
We’re using Threads to spark conversations, ask questions, and share joke snippets to keep people entertained. Plus, we’re constantly A/B testing to discover what works best. If you’re curious about what we’re up to, make sure to join us on Threads and be a part of the fun
By Ala Shashaa, Data and Insights Director, and Mher Krikorian, Head of Digital Content at Netizency
