Bye, Bye Bluebird?

Clubhouse, Mastodon, the Metaverse – all once hailed as potential game changers were quickly resigned to the dustbin of social media history. Threads, Meta’s new microblogging app which officially launched last week in over 100 countries already has more than 100m subscribers, appears to be the first new platform since TikTok launched in 2016 capable of attracting a significant user base, and has already been positioned as a direct competitor (and safer / friendlier alternative) to Twitter.

Here's what you need to know:

What is Threads?

Threads is a primarily text-based micro-blogging platform, part of the Meta family of social media channels and built by the team at Instagram, set up to provide a (comparatively) safe space “where communities come together”.

The app is notably indistinct, shall we say, from Twitter (leading to an initial threat of lawsuit from Elon Musk) – both have newsfeeds, heart-shaped like buttons, and an option to reshare posts. Unlike Twitter, Threads has yet to implement a search function to allow you to view Threads on a specific topic or incorporate hashtags, and Threads unfortunately haven’t had the wherewithal to create an edit function to posts – although to be fair it took Twitter more than a decade to do this and even now it is only available to Twitter Blue subscribers.

‘Threads’ can be 500 characters (compared with 280 for most Twitter users) and videos can be up to five minutes. Due to its proximity to Instagram, Threads can be posted directly to your Instagram story, ensuring a seamless transition across platforms.

Who’s using it?

Who isn'‘t using it? Insta famous celebs were quick to jump on the platform, in part due to its ease as a sister-site to the gram, but also because of the endless battle to stay relevant. The question is will they stay / slay?

Brands from Netflix to Coca-Cola and beyond joined in their droves (though there are many still notably absent) alongside news outlets who, after a brief acknowledgement of the new platform, continued with BAU.

Most notably for the world which we inhabit, journalists and the more social media savvy MPs who were already present on Instagram are also up and running.

How will it be used?

This is the big question. While the Paris Hilton’s of this world have been quick to amass more than 1 million followers in just a few days and somehow reignite a sense of relevance, many brands and stakeholders have yet to post and appear to be watching to see how the landscape unfolds.

With a rapidly growing userbase, it will no doubt be a valuable space for consumer facing brands, the question as to how impactful it will be as a platform for corporate campaigning remains to be seen - though the signs are positive. And, because it started on Instagram it can potentially incorporate a wider pool of discussion topics versus Twitter.

However, while it can already be used to some extent as a news source similar to Twitter, the Threads timeline isn’t exclusively made up of accounts you follow, therefore limiting to some extent your control in the content to which you’re exposed.

Can you run paid campaigns?

Currently, no. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said there would be no ads on Threads for now, allowing the company time to “fine-tune the app”, focusing on performance as they see if they can get the platform “on a clear path to 1billion people”. While the timeline is therefore indeterminate, considering the current trajectory of subscriber numbers it could be as soon as early 2024 - presenting seamless capability to develop ad campaigns across the Meta ad ecosystem via a centralised source.

Will it replace Twitter?

Despite its lower user base than Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, Twitter is embedded in news and culture in a way that other platforms have been unable to replicate, and thus remains an important channel for reaching stakeholder audiences, particularly through paid advertising.

Twitter users who have already signed up to Threads (and those who will soon do so) will likely use both platforms in tandem as they see what their audiences do and which app they ultimately prefer. In the long run however, they are too similar for people to use both – at some stage they are likely to choose one over the other.

Should we be on it?

Yes. It is important to go where your audience goes and it is clear this will be a new channel for engaging with stakeholders. While it may be a while before we see how well Threads nestles in to the cultural zeitgeist, with 100 million users across a broad range of audiences, it’s clear it’s here to stay.