Introduction

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has officially debuted its new messaging app called Threads. Positioned as Instagram’s “text-based conversation app,” Threads aims to capture users who have left Twitter due to concerns over its ownership.

Features and Availability

Threads is now available for free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play in over 100 countries. The app shares a similar visual aesthetic to Twitter and allows users to post short messages, which can be liked, shared, and commented upon.

Users can follow the same accounts on Threads that they follow on Instagram and engage with public posts in a manner similar to Twitter.

Racing into the Gap as Twitter Faces Challenges

The release of Threads comes at a time when Twitter has faced several issues under the ownership of Elon Musk. As a result, alternative messaging apps have gained popularity.

BlueSky, a rival app supported by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, witnessed a surge in traffic following the introduction of Twitter’s Tweet limits. Threads, like BlueSky, utilizes decentralized technology to give users control over their data across various apps.

Decentralized Technology and the Future

Threads currently uses the decentralized networking technology called the AT Protocol. However, in the future, it plans to incorporate another decentralized technology called ActivityPub, which powers other apps like Mastadon.

Meta believes that enabling support for ActivityPub is essential for allowing users to transition between different platforms while retaining their audience.

Conclusion

Threads marks Meta’s first app that is compatible with an open social networking protocol. Meta envisions this compatibility ushering in a new era of diverse and interconnected networks.

In 2019, Meta released a previous version of Threads focused on video and photo messaging, which has since been discontinued.