Are we all 'threading' yet? Seven things to know before joining Threads
Millions have flocked to Facebook owner Meta's new app Threads within hours of its launch.
The newest social media platform is a direct rival to Twitter, and the latest salvo in the clash of the tech titans, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
The app, which is linked to Instagram, went live in app stores for users in the UK at midnight on Thursday.
Threads is not the first Twitter rival to spring up - existing alternatives include Mastodon, Bluesky and Hive, which social media experts say are all already competing for Twitter’s market share.
But Threads' arrival in the social media ring directly pits Meta boss Zuckerberg against fellow tech billionaire Musk - whose rivalry risks spilling over into real life as they recently appeared to agree to a cage fight.
Here's everything you need to know before downloading Threads.
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What is Threads?
Threads is similar to Twitter, with a focus on text-based posts.
It allows users to post up to 500 characters of text, and up to five minutes of video and links, as well as pictures.
It is self-described as a “text-based conversation app… where communities come together”.
In the UK, all users under 18 will be defaulted onto a private profile when they join Threads.
Just like its rival, Twitter, users can post, re-post, and share their messages across platforms and private messages.
A 'thread,' in social media terminology, describes a series of inter-connected posts.
However, the terminology is particularly strongly associated with Twitter, where users will tend to pen a string of posts on a point in reply to their original tweet.
Meta's Threads has an aesthetic similar to Instagram's template, but carries Twitter-style posts.
The posts can be shared across to a user’s Instagram story and as a link on other platforms.
Do you need to have Instagram to download Threads?
In order to first get a Threads account you do need to have an Instagram account.
The Threads app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple's app store onto Android or iOS devices, as long as you already have Instagram.
Instagram users will be able to keep the same username for their Threads app, and will be prompted to request to follow the same accounts across both platforms.
Users of the new app will be able to use their Instagram login to get started and, like on the picture and reels-sharing platform, can follow and connect with friends and influencers who share their interests.
Promotional images also appeared to show a verified user's blue tick carrying over from Instagram to Threads.
Any accounts a user has blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on the new app and Instagram’s safety guidelines will be enforced on the new platform, Meta said.
Are we 'threading' and 're-threading' now?The age of Twitter ushered in a new lexicon for the digital age, as users 'tweeted' and 'retweeted' posts.
Threads echoes the interfaces and users quickly adopted social media lingua franca familiar to those well versed in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The new app's sharing options include a heart symbol used to like or favourite posts, a reply function, a reshare button, and the ability to forward posts to private messages.
Similarly, Twitter users migrating to Threads quickly adapted to 'threading' as a term to describe posting on the app, and 're-threading' to describe sharing another user's post.
To delete Threads you need to deactivate Instagram
If Threads users want to delete their accounts it appears they will have to deactivate their Instagram too.
As the accounts are interlinked, deleting a Threads account requires you to terminate your linked Instagram account, according to Meta's policy.
In its ‘Supplemental Privacy Policy,’ Meta explains: “You may deactivate your Threads profile at any time, but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account.”
Meta elaborates on its policy page that a Threads profile is part of a user's Instagram account.
Threads' data policy sparks unease
Some commentators are raising concerns about the app’s access to personal data.
Fears are being raised about data harvesting and the app's access to information, such as users' search history.
The uncertainty surrounding how the app could mine user data has lead some to vocalise their concerns about potential risks – including Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
“All your Threads are belong to us,” he posted, alongside a widely shared screenshot of the privacy section for Threads on the App Store – which suggests the app will collect data including financial information, contacts and browsing history.
Twitter owner Musk appeared to agree with a reply to the tweet, posted on Tuesday, stating: “Yeah.”
Why isn't Threads available in the EU?
Threads has launched and been made freely available in 100 countries.
But it is not yet available in the European Union (EU) due to regulatory concerns, as a result of the implementation of the bloc's Digital Markets Act.
The EU has strict data privacy rules, and Meta has informed Ireland's Data Privacy Commission that it has no plans yet to launch Threads in the 27-nation bloc, commission spokesman Graham Doyle said.
The Irish watchdog is Meta's main privacy regulator for the EU because the company's regional headquarters is based in Dublin.
The company is working on rolling the app out to more countries but pointed to regulatory uncertainty for its decision to hold off on a European launch.
What's the verdict on Threads so far?
More than 10 million curious users signed up to the new app within hours of its launch worldwide.
Some expressed their relief from having a new social media tool to use in place of Twitter.
Twitter has been dogged by criticism of Musk's mass lay-offs and verification reforms that resulted in a bonfire of the blue-ticks, replaced by controversial subscription model, Twitter Blue.
One Threads convert posted a cartoon image of a mythical creature performing a yoga pose, with the caption: “How it feels not being on Twitter for three seconds.”
However, on Twitter, many did not appear sold by the new app.
One Twitter user declared Threads samplers were already “running back to Twitter” after trying the new app “for five minutes”.
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