Within the first seven hours of its launch, the social media landscape witnessed a significant shift as Threads, the brand-new app from Meta, attracted ten million users. This surge was announced by Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief of Meta.
Threads is being positioned as a ‘friendly’ competitor to the Musk-owned Twitter. This comes after Twitter underwent several changes following its acquisition by Elon Musk in October, leading to dissatisfaction among many users.
A Close Encounter with Threads
Threads, like Twitter, is a platform that allows users to post updates up to 500 characters. The array of features it offers bear a striking resemblance to Twitter’s, enabling an easy transition for potential users who are considering a shift.
Zuckerberg, in an earlier statement, emphasized the need for maintaining a ‘friendly’ atmosphere on the platform, believing it to be a key ingredient for success. However, Musk retorted by suggesting that dealing with anonymous attacks on Twitter is better than succumbing to the artificial happiness fostered by Instagram.
Is Threads the Future of Public Conversations?
The potential for Threads to surpass Twitter was highlighted by Zuckerberg in a Thread. He noted that Twitter missed out on the opportunity to create a public conversations platform that could accommodate a billion plus users, a goal Threads is ambitiously pursuing.
Data Privacy and Threads
Critics are skeptical about the volume of data the app might use. This could possibly extend to health, financial, and browsing data linked to user identities, as per the Apple App Store. Despite these concerns, Threads is available for download in over 100 countries, including the UK. However, it remains unavailable in the EU due to regulatory concerns.
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