What is Threads and will it rival Twitter?
There has been a huge buzz surrounding the launch of Meta’s new social media platform, Threads. Built by Instagram and Facebook’s parent company, Threads is a text-based app for iPhone and Android that delivers the microblogging experience popularised by Twitter.
Since it’s launch in more than 100 countries, the app has reported in excess of 30 million new users according to Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. With increasing dissatisfaction from Twitter’s own userbase following Elon Musk’s takeover, many are already speculating on whether Threads could rival Twitter.
So, what are the benefits of Threads, and what opportunities might it present for brands and companies from a marketing perspective?
Benefits of Threads
For anyone acquainted with Twitter, Threads will be immediately familiar. The app utilises a clean and simple layout that is both straightforward and intuitive. Users can interact with threads of other users and post their own, as well as share threads directly onto Instagram.
One of the biggest benefits for brands and companies looking to sign up is the ability to carry over networks from Instagram, and in turn build followings much more quickly and effectively than starting from scratch.
How Threads might rival Twitter
With limited ability to target ads on Twitter, the platform has traditionally been rather under-utilised from an advertising perspective, meaning this could be an opportunity for Threads to carve out this niche in the microblogging space, while presenting plenty of opportunities for marketers, as well as brands to connect to their audiences on this new platform, which is already positioning itself as a friendly, personal alternative to Twitter.
There are already some not-so-subtle hints of a “tech feud” between Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, with many arguing that Twitter has become clunkier and less user friendly since the Tesla founder took over. This, combined with updates that have seen controversial changes for both verified and non-verified accounts have created almost perfect conditions for a challenger to Twitter to rise to prominence.
What does the future hold for Threads?
While the platform is ad-free currently, most marketers see it only as a matter of time before they are implemented, giving brands another way to reach and engage with millennial and Gen Z audiences. Additionally, with Threads being closely integrated with Instagram, this opens up new opportunities for influencers and brand ambassadors alike to migrate content and communities over to the new platform, making it a win-win for both brands and content creators.
One of the recurring criticisms of the platform currently is that the experience is somewhat bare bones, with features like hashtags, trending topics and direct messaging yet to be implemented, but it is important to bear in mind that the platform is still evolving, meaning brands have the opportunity to get in early and begin carving out a community in a brand-new space.
Others have criticised Threads as being yet another social media platform that encourages more social media usage in an already saturated world. However, the platform seems to be taking steps to address this, with users able to place usage limits on their visits. More widely, if Threads is able to position itself as a real alternative, offering a different experience to Twitter, while keeping it’s intuitive and simple aesthetic, it may have a huge potential for brands.
Ultimately, while Threads is still in its infancy, it already looks promising as a way for brands and creators to grow on a new platform, with the potential for more marketing placement opportunities, in a space that offers a more personal experience that platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
