Cos’è Threads
Threads è un social network lanciato da Meta, l’azienda che già possiede – tra gli altri – Instagram e Facebook. Si tratta di una piattaforma basata sui contenuti testuali e, in particolare, sui contenuti brevi. Al suo interno si possono infatti condividere brevi messaggi di testo di una lunghezza inferiore ai 500 caratteri i quali possono essere accompagnati da immagini o video.
Le similitudini con X sono palesi, ma Mark Zuckerberg non si nasconde dietro un dito: Threads si pone come competitor diretto del social network di Elon Musk.
Dopo essere stato lanciato in America a luglio 2023, dopo solo pochi mesi Threads è arrivato anche in Italia. Ma perché gli utenti dovrebbero iniziare a usare un social network che è identico a un altro che è attivo da anni e col quale hanno già familiarità?
Threads VS X: le differenze
In effetti, Threads non è del tutto identico a X. Seppur la base del funzionamento sia simile (se non identica), Threads ha delle funzionalità che sono assenti su X.
In primo luogo, ciò che maggiormente distingue Threads dal competitor diretto è la sua integrazione con Instragram: gli utenti possono collegare i propri account permettendo la condivisone automatica dei contenuti su entrambe le piattaforme. Può sembrare una funzionalità superflua per tanti utenti comuni, ma chi usa i social per lavoro può semplificare le proprie attività quotidiane attraverso questa semplice funzione.
The absolute novelty compared to X and compared to all the major social networks currently on the market is the ability to use Threads without a profile . On Threads, users don’t need a profile to enjoy content: they can do so in a sort of guest mode, viewing content and being able to share it via links. In this way, Threads content becomes accessible to all web users, providing a huge advantage to creators compared to other platforms. From the user side, however, this feature also attracts people who generally stay away from social media to avoid the sort of addiction they can cause; thanks to guest mode, you can enjoy content only when you need it, without receiving notifications or being tempted to check your feed.
The algorithm behind Threads also appears to be different from the one used by X. While X is a very public platform, like a global town square where everyone can share their thoughts with the rest of the world, Threads, at least for now, seems to create more intimate spaces , where interaction between people belonging to the same circles is encouraged.
Threads VS Mastodon
Mastodon is Threads’ second competitor, although it is much less well-known than X. Mastodon is a social network based on sharing text messages accompanied by images or videos with one big difference compared to X and Threads: it is a decentralized social network . What does this mean?
While X and Threads are controlled by the companies that run them, Mastodon has no central authority overseeing it . Threads competes with Mastodon less directly than X: Mastodon’s users are tech-savvy and otherwise (it’s nicknamed the social network for nerds), while Threads appeals to the same audience as Instagram and X.
How Threads Works
Regardless of similarities and differences with other platforms, Threads works like any other social network.
Access Threads
To access Threads, simply download the app (available on both the Apple Store and the Play Store) and log in. You can choose to log in with the same Instagram account or create a new one. If you create a new one, users can add their name, bio, and link to display on their profile.
The Threads Feed
Like any social network, Threads also has a dashboard—or feed—where you can scroll through all the content posted by the people you follow and that suggested by the algorithm.
The Threads
Content posted on Threads is called a thread . To post a thread, simply click the pencil icon and write your message. The text limit is 500 characters, and you can add images, links, or videos up to 5 minutes long to each thread. You can also mention other accounts and use hashtags.
Private messaging
Users can also exchange private messages on Threads : in this case, Instagram’s messaging (DM) is used.
Interactions
Like any self-respecting social network, Threads is also based on interaction with other users. On the platform, you can like other threads or profiles, repost threads, comment on them, or exchange private messages.
As you can easily see, Threads may have brought some innovations compared to existing social networks, but it’s not revolutionizing the industry : it works the same way as all the major platforms. Time will tell whether this is a weakness or the secret to its success.
Threads: the controversies
The launch of Threads was not without controversy. The first problem Zuckerberg’s company faced was the sharing of user data between the two platforms, Instagram and Threads . This practice violated some guidelines of the Digital Market Act , which regulates the digital market in the European Union. This is precisely why the launch was delayed in Europe compared to the United States and the United Kingdom.
Meta spent the months between July and December 2023 ensuring that, despite its data-sharing policy, Threats’s operation did not violate the European Digital Market Act, thus avoiding suspensions or closures of the platform. Indeed, after several months, the social network is still active in Italy, and there are no rumors of any future suspensions (as is currently happening with TikTok).
The second limitation highlighted by Threads in its short lifespan concerns junk content. Within weeks of its launch, the new social network was already filled with fake news , fake photos, and hate speech. Apparently, to quickly increase their following on the social network and gain an immediate advantage, some users resorted to so-called rage farming : a technique used to generate outrage and, consequently, user engagement to increase the number of followers and thread interactions.
The result was an exponential increase in low-quality content that didn’t benefit the success of threads. Instagram’s Italian manager, Adam Mosseri, even apologized for the algorithm’s behavior in the new social network’s first weeks and stated that he was working to fix the problem as soon as possible.
Threads: The Real Alternative to X or Failure?
It hasn’t escaped many users’ attention that Meta’s new platform was launched right at the time of what is seen as a crisis for Twitter. The company was recently acquired by Elon Musk and has undergone several changes, both large and small. The platform’s name has been changed to X, many users (including Donald Trump) who had been banned have been reinstated, and so on.
Faced with all these changes, many users have stopped using the X platform which, although it still has millions of users, has actually suffered a decline. Mark Zuckerberg jumped on this hint of a crisis with the launch of Threads. And how did it go?
At first glance, the success seemed immediate: thanks to the marketing campaign, the X crisis, and the simplicity of being able to access the platform using the same Instagram account, the days following the US launch recorded peaks of 23.5 million daily active users.
In the following weeks, however, the hype seemed to have faded: daily active users dropped to 13 million and the average time spent on the app per user dropped below 20 minutes.
Why did this happen? Most likely, Threads’ first users were those who came from Instagram. They’re accustomed to a completely different way of interacting, based on images and short videos rather than text. Threads’ target audience is, in fact, much more similar to that of X. Therefore, to determine Threads’ true success, we’ll have to wait for the migration of users from X , which will occur, if it happens, much more gradually than that of those who already used Instagram.
Conclusion
Threads has the potential to become a real alternative to X, but only if it manages to overcome its initial turbulence and build a digital ecosystem that respects the quality of its content and authentic interaction between users . Only time will tell whether Threads will be able to consolidate itself as a mainstay in the social media landscape or if it will be just a failed experiment.
