This week, Meta launched its new social media app, referred to as Threads. This Twitter-like community lets customers submit quick textual content blurbs together with pictures and movies. It’s an apparent transfer to win over Twitter’s fractured consumer base, which overwhelmingly opposes lots of the adjustments Musk has made since he took over the Chicken App in 2022. Many customers are leaping ship to different Twitter-like apps, a few of which have additionally solely cropped up in latest months. Threads is the latest possibility, and with Meta’s muscle behind it, it’s positively a contender.
Not like different Twitter alternate options, Threads runs on a pre-existing social media community—particularly Instagram (and Fb). Whereas there are execs and cons to this strategy, it provides Threads a significant benefit over different Twitter clones: tens of millions of customers already technically have an account. It’s additionally less complicated to make use of than federated Twitter alts like Mastodon, and it’s publicly obtainable, unike buzzy upstarts Bluesky and Spill, that are nonetheless in closed beta and require invite codes.
So whilst you’ll must take care of the chance your Fb and Instagram-loving family may discover and observe you on Threads, it’s actually the best of the brand new Twitter replacements to affix proper now—so long as you’re cool with a number of the app’s questionable privateness practices.
Methods to be part of and use Threads
To join Threads, you first want an Instagram account. If you have already got one, then all you might want to do is obtain the Threads app from the iOS App Retailer or Google Play Retailer. Register along with your IG account when prompted.
You’ll then have the choice to import your bio and profile image from Instagram, and auto-follow everybody out of your Instagram follows listing that has signed up for Threads.
After that, you’re free to begin posting…or “threading?” “Thweeting?” I’m probably not certain what the consumer base has landed on but.
Is Threads any good?
It’s straightforward to begin utilizing Threads, however what’s it really like to make use of? Truthfully, not nice.
As somebody with accounts on Bluesky, Hive, Spill, and now Threads, Threads is by far the least fascinating Twitter alternative I’ve tried up to now. By default, there is just one feed, sorted algorithmically, that reveals folks you observe and posts Threads thinks you might like primarily based in your consumer information. (I hope you want seeing engagement bait from random accounts with large followings.) There may be at present no choice to kind your feed chronologically or by follows-only. You can mess along with your settings to vary what notifications the app will ship you, however threads from folks you don’t observe will nonetheless present up in your feed.
Twitter vets may even discover a scarcity of frequent options in comparison with the Chicken App, resembling DMs or the power to view replies instantly in your feed, to call just a few. Threads does have a search operate, nevertheless it’s barebones and largely helpful for trying up usernames.
Fortunately, the app does have just a few privateness controls, together with the power to mute and block accounts, conceal particular phrases, restrict who can point out your account, and the choice to show your profile personal. These can all be discovered within the app underneath Settings > Privateness.
Meta says extra options are on the best way—together with a following-only tab on your feed—nevertheless it’s frankly not an amazing expertise proper now, particularly in comparison with others like Bluesky and even Hive.
I’m keen to chop Meta some slack on Threads’ slim options and lack of curation choices at launch, however there are different main caveats to concentrate on earlier than signing up.
Issues to know earlier than utilizing Threads
First is Threads’ privateness coverage. The app collects tons of consumer information—a lot that the app is banned within the EU at launch.
When you can restrict some information assortment in your Instagram account settings or your cellphone’s permissions, sure information assortment is required to make use of Threads. Amassing that a lot private information is a safety concern, as leaks or information breaches may see parts of that information stolen or uncovered (or handed over to the federal government and regulation enforcement businesses with out your information).
Deleting your Threads account means deleting your Instagram too
If that considerations you, I like to recommend skipping Threads for now—particularly for the reason that solely strategy to delete your Threads account is by deleting your Instagram account too. Sure, actually. No less than for now.
When you can deactivate profile your Threads account underneath Settings > Account > Deactivate Profile and take away the app out of your cellphone, your account will nonetheless exist till you utterly delete Instagram as nicely—so be sure you actually need to use Threads earlier than signing up.
