Zuckerberg, a well-known name in the global social media field, once subverted people's traditional social methods and moved people's social occasions from real parties to the Internet. A new kind of hub for shaping public online conversations. Although Twitter's influence tenaciously maintains an irreplaceable position, this has not made Zuckerberg give up his ambitions.
On July 6, Threads was officially launched. This is a new application launched by Meta Company after Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, directly targeting Twitter. Threads is not only named after one of the features of rival Twitter, but also closely resembles Twitter's emphasis on public dialogue, and some technicians in the technology world even call it the "Twitter killer."
Threads was developed on the basis of Instagram users, combining elements of Instagram and Twitter. Users can follow people they already follow on Instagram. In a company-wide meeting last month, Meta executives shared that Instagram Threads will be integrated using ActivityPub, the decentralized social media protocol Mastodon is based on.
Threads' official and brief description on the App Store reads: Threads is where the community comes together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to tomorrow's trends. No matter what interests you, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things, or build your own loyal following and share your thoughts, opinions and creativity with the world.
Soon after Threads was released, it was available for global users to register and download on Apple's App Store. BlockBeats conducted an evaluation experience as soon as Threads was launched.
Threads review: how did it perform?
Before the official launch, a photo preview of the app displayed in Apple's App Store led many users to speculate that they could log into Threads using their Instagram accounts. Threads, meanwhile, uses ActivityPub, a decentralized social media protocol that is also used by Mastodon. This also means that Threads content may be available on multiple servers, and Instagram usernames, followers and other account information can also be automatically moved to the new app Threads based on user needs.
1. Download the app
Users who pre-ordered the Threads app on July 4th can open Threads directly from the Apple App Store. After entering the page, if the user has installed Instagram, Threads will automatically identify the user's Ins account and provide one-click login for the Ins account.
2. Account Settings
Select the Ins account to log in and enter the user home page editing page. Here, the user cannot modify the user name, and Threads is directly synchronized through the Ins account. Then there is the setting of personalized signature and personal link. Of course, you can also choose to import directly from Instagram.
Click to continue to enter the privacy settings page, the same as Instagram, users can choose to make their homepage public or private.
Followed by the Ins account. Threads will synchronize the Ins accounts that users follow, allowing users to choose whether to follow them a second time on the Threads platform. When you're done, jump to the How Threads Works page, and after reading it, you'll be taken to the homepage of the app.
3. Home page browsing and interactive reply
The Threads homepage browsing interface is not much different from Twitter. Only the first content of each Thread will be displayed, or three superimposed avatars will be displayed below a Thread that has multiple replies, and you can view other users' comments after clicking on a Thread.
The way of interaction is also the same as that of Twitter, but the interaction with Instagram has been added. Click the share button that looks like "Telegram Fetion", and you can choose to share the Thread to your own Instagram feed as a jump, or you can choose to publish it on your own Instagram in the form of a Story. On the "Dynamic" page, you can view the interactive messages between other users and yourself.
4. Privacy Settings
Some privacy settings on Instagram can be copied to Threads, and custom restricted words are added at the same time. Content that users do not want to see will not be displayed in Threads.
"Twitter Killer" Coincidentally Launched
As a veteran of two decades in the business world, Zuckerberg's timing of this shot is very clever and precise, and Twitter is experiencing a new round of turmoil.
We all know that since Musk bought Twitter last year, in order to help Twitter turn a profit, it has had to make a series of policy changes, such as revising the algorithm Twitter uses to determine which posts are the most prominent, and repealing the ban on certain types of tweets. Content moderation rules, and a complete overhaul of the verification process for confirming user identities.
Over the weekend, Musk imposed a reading limit on Twitter users: verified accounts can read up to 10,000 tweets per day; unverified accounts 1,000; new unverified accounts 500 (the number has been increased by frequency). There is a small increase in the limit). Musk explained that the restriction is to counter the situation where other companies obtain Twitter data through the process of "scraping". But in the face of such restrictions, a large number of Twitter users did not buy into his explanation, and felt frustrated and dissatisfied. Tags and search terms such as "GoodBye Twitter" and "RIP Twitter" also appeared frequently, and even made a search for Twitter alternatives. s Choice.
Bluesky, a social protocol funded by Jack Dorsey, ushered in "record-breaking traffic" in history due to Elon Musk's limited traffic policy launched on July 2. Eugen Rochko, founder and CEO of city-state social network Mastodon, also shared figures from last weekend that Mastodon saw an increase of 294,000 active users and roughly tripled the amount of activity posted.
Obviously, Bluesky and Mastodon can't fully take over the "refugees" who fled from Twitter, and the social track occupied by Twitter has been torn a big gap. Therefore, at this time, Zuckerberg made a decisive attack and launched Threads in an attempt to occupy and fill this gap.
Threads, which was chosen to launch decisively at this ingenious time, was actually in the planning of Meta last year.
According to some previous reports, Meta executives started discussing from the beginning of Twitter's chaos, how to use this chaos to win greater market share for Meta, such as the idea of building a rival service. Spawned Threads.
Initially, the positioning of Threads is indeed the case. At least for now, it doesn't limit users' reading like Twitter does.
This is a spin-off project from Instagram, internally codenamed Project 92. Before it was officially launched, many users speculated that they could log into Threads using their Instagram accounts, based on photo previews of the app displayed in Apple's App Store. So Threads will presumably appeal to existing Instagram users, new users looking for a different social media experience, and "refugees" fleeing Twitter.
Interestingly, Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said Threads was inspired by users because they wanted a social media platform that “sanely runs”, which seems to be a satire on Musk.
Apparently Musk also noticed the teasing, and made a taunting reply of "Thank God they run so sensibly."
However, many users and community members do not seem to buy into the professional "sanely run" of Threads. And questioned whether "running rationally" implies that the app will collect all the data of the user. In the iOS version, Twitter collects 7 data points and Threads collects 14 data points.
Facebook had a massive user data leak in 2018, and former Cambridge Analytica employees exposed inside information about the misuse of Facebook data to the media. Facebook had to apologize for the illegal data collection incident, and Zuckerberg also went to the United States to participate in 2 days and 10 hours of hearings. Finally, in July 2019, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Facebook must pay a $5 billion fine for violating privacy regulations.
The scandal sparked public concerns about social media leaking personal privacy, so that some people launched the "#DeleteFacebook" campaign on Twitter, and Tesla and SpaceX, companies led by Musk, also participated in this "uninstall Facebook" campaign. Delete Log out of your Facebook account. “Facebook makes me sick,” Musk tweeted.
In the most recent incident, on May 22, Meta was fined $1.3 billion by the European Union for its 10-year involvement in mass surveillance in the United States, and was ordered to stop transferring its data to American servers, the largest European Union transaction in history. A record amount of fines.
Going back to the fact that Threads collects so much user data, which caused dissatisfaction among many users and community members, it also attracted the attention of Jack Dorsey. He posted a screenshot of Threads’ data policy on Twitter. Musk seemed to be gloating. "He replied: "Yea".
Zama "Cage Fight History"
Threads, named after a Twitter competitor, seems to function a lot like Twitter, and some technologists even call it a "Twitter killer." Zuckerberg's obsession with Twitter dates back to Twitter's early days, when Zuckerberg offered to buy the company but was turned down.
And for news reports that Zuckerberg plans to compete with Twitter, Musk has been teasing and prodding him online. One Twitter user warned Musk, reminding him of Zuckerberg's recent pursuit of martial arts publicity. "I can do a ring match if he wants lol," Musk tweeted Tuesday night.
Zuckerberg, who has been training Brazilian jiu jitsu, responded on Instagram the next day: "Tell me where." Musk then tweeted: "If this is true, I will do it" and suggested Las Vegas plays. Throughout the night, Musk tweeted about the possibility of their duel, including mentioning that Zuckerberg was in peak physical condition.
Not only that, but according to behind-the-scenes accounts from those who heard their complaints privately, the two have always had a deep dissatisfaction with each other, and they will occasionally attack each other in public over AI and other topics. Musk, who has been cash-strapped for years, has been frustrated watching Zuckerberg make easy money with software while he toils away on electric cars and space rockets. Zuckerberg, on the other hand, craves the respect for an innovator like Musk.
Related reading: " Behind Meta's launch of Twitter's competing product Threads is the years-long personal grievances between Musk and Zuckerberg "
While the hype for the duel between the two has heated up, it has indirectly intensified the growing rivalry between their business interests, breathing new life into the battle for social media advertising dollars.
Since taking over Twitter in late October, Musk has faced a number of challenges in reshaping the company to his liking, including a reduction in ad spending by some brands due in part to concerns about the company's future. In response, Musk said he needed to make massive cost cuts, including layoffs, to avoid bankruptcy. Now, he says the company is on track to be cash-flow positive and has hired a well-known TV advertising executive as CEO to improve relationships with advertisers.
Although Meta launched Threads with bold ambitions, it also faced its own challenges. This technology giant located in Silicon Valley is making every effort to transform into the so-called virtual world or immersive digital world. However, given that the concept of this virtual universe is far from reaching mainstream acceptance, its bold investment decision will inevitably attract many questions.
In recent months, Zuckerberg has also been grappling with a series of issues for Meta, such as cutting the company's costs and figuring out whether the company has fallen behind in the artificial intelligence race. At a staff meeting last month, he tried to unite employees by explaining the company's layoffs and Meta's vision for artificial intelligence, elements that would fit into the grand scheme of its virtual universe.
Despite the challenges, Meta remains Twitter's most serious competitor, and with its deep pockets and user base of more than 3 billion on Facebook, Instagram and other apps, it can't be underestimated in the social media battleground. However, those platforms that try to exploit Twitter's weaknesses -- such as Tumblr, Nostr, Spill, Mastodon, and Bluesky -- have significantly less leverage than Meta.
However, can Threads as the new "killer" really shake up Twitter's status, or at least win a place on the social media battlefield? This still needs time and market verification. Although Zuckerberg's intentions and determination have been fully revealed, only the strongest can have the last laugh on this battlefield.
