More “Threads” of the Social

In early July of 2023, Meta (parents to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram) proudly announced yet another newborn of theirs and a sister to the world-renowned social media platform. Introducing Threads.

After almost 12 years since the release of Instagram to the worldwide population, this social media has finally got an extended version of itself called “Threads”. The unique name of this online platform hopes to become the new norm for sharing text updates and joining public conversations where existing users from Instagram could jump right in with easy integration and share expressions including links, photos, and videos.

Well, if you might be interested in joining the new community, here’s how. First, download the app on your mobile and create your profile which is linked to your existing Instagram account. Next, fill in your profile and choose your privacy setting public or private. You can also choose your followings and engage with curated profiles. And you’re ready to explore the app!

In the first week of Threads, it garnered more than 100 million users worldwide joining the hype and people kept showing up for more of this app. However, its early success did not last long and users eventually plummeted more than 80% to 8 million active users by the end of July. Despite the buzz on the Internet, a lot of people think that Threads might not be the “it” thing.

Here’s a simple analogy to help you understand why. Like in the movies and popular cultures, being the “it” thing, especially surrounded by established and well-known names is not easy. In fact, it is a sea full of piranhas and hate comments! And even worse, competing with your own famous siblings hurt the most and everything just couldn’t sit right! (ouch)

A few sources we gathered from the online community and user experience responses on why Threads is just another trend.

• A copy of the blue bird. The chirping blue bird might get sad after getting a huge makeover to an X but Threads has been said to be a direct copy of Twitter and even some called it the Twitter Killer where features like sharing text, photos, videos, and limiting to 500 characters. Moreover, the user experience is quite similar to Twitter with the reply, like and comment button, and especially the famous tweets.

• Unique name, basic features. Unlike the unique name and a famous sister it has, Threads is just another basic online platform and a copy. Its only available features for users are sharing real-time conversation and uploading media. So far users can’t really find the joy and the intention of keeping using Threads.

• Lack of salt and sugar. Continuing on the basic features, the online platform itself doesn’t differentiate selling points from both Twitter and Instagram. Users can only do so limited things and lack discoverability. In fact, there’s no following page hashtags, trending stories, or DM to share. What’s the spice in using it then?

• A walking landmine. A lot of users might not realize that Threads is actually jeopardizing their Instagram account because removing a Threads account requires deleting the whole Instagram account at the same time. Nope, there’s no turning back.

On the contrary, some optimists believe that Threads is actually transforming social media as we speak. Some say that it holds significant potential to shape the future of online platforms by enhancing conversation quality and nurturing niche communities. But actually what does the future hold for Threads? Will another string of social media last or just another hype?

Rather than following endless hype on the Internet, here at BIGIT we actually prepare for the turbulent future and start setting for digital presence. We encourage our community to start take the big leap and invest in strategies where BIGIT helps to curate Conferences, Masterclasses, and In-House Training Service to accommodate “personalized A to Z solutions” for businesses across industries –Reach out to us or  CLICK HERE to learn more!