Written July 2023
When Elon Musk took ownership of Twitter in late 2022, many users worried for the future of the major social media platform. Musk was forward about the purchase of the platform and his plans to “revamp” it. Since his implementation as CEO, many things have changed about the platform, possibly for the worse. After placing a limit on how many tweets can be viewed by a single user in a day, some considered it to be the last straw. Meta has ushered in a similar platform, Threads, to seemingly save the day.
Changes to Twitter
Musk has not been shy about the misgivings he had with Twitter, especially the perceived lack of free speech. According to TIME magazine, when Musk was in the process of acquiring Twitter, he said he would create a council that would advise him in relation to content moderation. Not only did he not create the council, but one of the very first actions he took as CEO was to remove bans on accounts connected to Nazi’s. Most notably, he reinstated Donald Trump’s account, ending the suspension on the account.
One of the biggest changes that Musk made on the platform was the invite-only verification program. Typically, users of notoriety (brands, athletes, actors, singers, celebrities, influencers) would receive an invite to verify their account. Once approved, the account would secure a blue check, verifying that the account belongs to the real person. Musk decided to change it up… just a tad.
Musk had his ear to the street and heard the jokes about Twitter being too good to be free. He retained the idea of blue checks but now required users to pay for them. He titled it “Twitter Blue” and charged users $8/mo to maintain the blue check. In addition to this, anyone could sign up for the subscription. This became an issue for brands as they could be impersonated and verified at the same time. Brands fled the platform as a result, causing the platform to lose money.
Twitter also saw some changes to the timeline as it added a ‘For You’ page, similar to Tik Tok but with Tweets. Musk even let go of several employees for unknown reasons. Twitter Blue continued to be explored as Musk offered to pay for some celebrities subscriptions.
Most recently, and famously, Twitter users saw a limit on the amount of tweets they could see or read in a day. The limit started at 600 tweets a day (6,000 for verified users) but later increased to 1,000 tweets a day (10,000 for verified users).
This decision received mixed reactions. Some saw it as a way to decrease screen time. Others feared for the implications. With a limit of the amount of tweets a user can see, this also limits the amount of information one can receive. Social media platforms, especially Twitter, serve as a medium for people to get their news and information.
So, What is Threads?
Twitter users began seeing rate limits on July 1, 2023. On July 5, 2023, Meta launched their text based app, Threads. The platform saw immediate success, obtaining 100 million followers in just five days. Something that took twitter over five years to accomplish. The early success of Threads could be attributed to several different things.
Firstly, after the rate limit was implemented at Twitter, users were looking for something new. Threads timed their launch perfectly by becoming available just days after the controversy. Aside from that, when Musk decided to fire/lay-off several employees, Meta hired them to work on the Threads app. This may have given Meta a significant edge. Additionally, in order for users to sign up, all they need is their Instagram account.
Although the core of Threads is similar to Twitter, there are some significant differences. Threads does not immediately show a user’s following count. On the profile page of a user, you can see how many followers they have but must click to find out how many people they are following.
Additionally, Threads does not have a page for trending topics or posts. The platform seems to want to discourage “viral-ability” tactics and encourage people to simply say whatever it is they feel like saying. Unlike their other platforms, Meta opted out of an advertisement based model for Threads.
Instagram is famous for removing the chronological order view and copied this feature over to Threads. Although Twitter does have a section that does not show Tweets based on time, there is an option to view the Tweets in chronological order.
Due to the link between Threads and Instagram, if users would like to delete their Threads account, their Instagram must be deleted as well. Meta has mentioned that they are working on this as it continues to make updates to the platform.
Threads Longevity
Threads launched just a little over two weeks ago and it’s hard to tell if it will truly replace Twitter. Users are still feeling out the platform and some people are still deciding if they want to make an account at all.
While the platform has garnered over 100 million users, the number of active users seems to be down. According to CNN, two days after Threads launched, there were about 49 million active users. A week later, the number dropped to 23.6 million active users. That is just under a 50% cut.
Threads users have also reported experiences of the platform being ‘brand heavy’. With their being a direct connection between Instagram, brands quickly began using Threads. Users typically log onto their favorite social media platforms not only to view general content but to also keep up with the people they know and/or love.
With the launch of Threads having been so recent, it is hard to tell if it will remain popular. Meta began working on the platform at the beginning of 2023 and is expected to keep making updates. It hasn’t quite replaced Twitter but time will show which app comes out on top.