New Twitter alternatives are popping up left and right, with Bluesky Social and Threads being the next big contenders.
The landscape of Twitter has changed massively since Elon Musk took over the role of CEO. Twitter verification is now a paid subscription and a reading limit was even introduced to curb the apparent extreme levels of data scraping taking place on the site.
With all of this new discourse, new alternatives to Twitter have been appearing en masse. The latest is Threads, a social media app created by Meta.
If you want to learn more about Threads, including what it is and how to sign up, make sure you keep reading.
What is Threads?
Threads is a new social media app developed by Meta, meaning that it falls under the same umbrella as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. The app launched in full on 6th July 2023.
This app was built by the Instagram team and developed for “sharing text updates and joining public conversations”.
Threads works in a similar fashion to Twitter, allowing users to post up to 500 characters and include links, photos and videos up to five minutes in length. Since Threads is connected to Instagram, users can follow their Instagram followers in the new app, allowing for immediate conversation.
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One of the most interesting aspects of Threads is that it has been marketed as an app you should use alongside Instagram as opposed to an additional feature added to the Instagram app. The integration between these two apps has worked very well since its launch, with users being able to use the same username, profile picture and bio on both platforms.
Users can control who can mention them in posts and replies within Threads. Users can also add hidden words to filter out undesired replies and posts, with the ability to unfollow, block, restrict or report any profiles that they don’t want to interact with.
Threads is still in its infancy, so we expect that new features will pop up across the platform soon. At the time of writing, there is no way to find “Trending” topics like users can on Twitter, but Meta has claimed that it is working on improving recommendations in each feed and creating a more robust search function.
How can I sign up for Threads?
If you want to sign up for Threads, check out our dedicated explainer which will walk you through the entire process. It is free to download on both the App Store and Play Store and available in the UK, America and across Europe.
It’s worth noting that to create a Threads account you will need an active Instagram account that you can access. If you want to find out how to follow all of your Instagram followers on the platform, check out this guide.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
