Facebook owner Meta’s new Threads app, meant to compete with Twitter, was available for pre-order on mobile app stores on iPhone and Android operating systems on Monday.
Listed as “Threads, an Instagram app,” the new program should be available in the coming days, and is described on Apple’s app store as “Instagram’s text-based conversation app.”
“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” says the app’s description on the store.
Thread’s launch comes after a period of uncertainty at Twitter since Tesla owner Elon Musk took over in October, with the billionaire restructuring the company, firing thousands and placing many features behind a subscription paywall.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced in mid-March that it was working on a new social network whose description made it a potential competitor to Twitter.
Threads will enable users to “connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world,” according to its app store description.
“We’re thinking about a decentralized, independent social network for sharing written messages in real time,” the group said in a statement sent to AFP.
Meta is striking hard at Twitter just when the iron is sizzling hot. The Musk-operated outfit has made several unpopular changes over the past few months, including the verification process overhaul and the recently imposed limit on the number of tweets users can read on the platform.
Will Threads be able to capitalize on the growing user resentment towards Twitter? We’ll have to wait and watch.