Threads: What you need to know about the new Twitter rival—and how to use it
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta finally introduced Threads on Thursday, July 6 (Philippine time).
The app is now live, with accounts of celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and Jack Black already active, as well as media outlets like Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter, Vice, and Netflix. PhilSTAR L!fe has also created a Threads account here.
Since its launch, the social media platform has been trending on rival Elon Musk's Twitter, with hot topics like "Bye Twitter" with over 40,000 tweets and "Zuckerberg" with almost 52,000 posts in the Philippines alone. It also recorded 5 million sign-ups in its first four hours.
Curious about the new app? Here's everything you need to know about it.
What is Threads?
A major challenger to Twitter, Threads is quite similar to the iconic blue bird app–from the overall layout to the internal features such as liking, reposting, commenting, and sharing. Its blue checkmarks for verification are also incorporated into the program.
Zuckerberg, who described it as "an open and friendly public space for conversation," gave users a first look at Threads on his Facebook page.
The text-based application is intertwined with Instagram, where you can use your IG login system to create your page and bring your followers to the app, on top of the notification that your mobile contacts will receive for a follow.
“Our vision is to take the best parts of Instagram and create a new experience for text, ideas, and discussing what's on your mind,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.
As indicated on the App Store, Threads is “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.”
How to use Threads?
To join Threads, download the app on the Android Play Store or iOS App Store.
Signing in could be quick and easy if you already have an account on Instagram as your profile will be imported into the new app. Note that you can still customize your display photo, bio, and link on Threads.
There's no need to go through each user you'd like to subscribe to as you can do so for the same users you're already following on Instagram.
Creating a "thread" is much like tweeting, too. However, you'd have the option to select who can view your post: anyone, profiles you follow, or the users mentioned. Unlike Twitter's 280-character limit, Threads allows users to share updates in 500 words.
The options to unfollow, mute, hide, and report an account can also be accessed by tapping the three dots on the upper right corner of a user's post. Note that any account you blocked on Instagram is automatically blocked on Threads.
Threads is now available in 100 countries, including the Philippines, and will run with no advertisements in the meantime. According to AFP, it's yet to be released in Europe due to data privacy concerns.