Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta has introduced Threads, the latest text-based App by Instagram. A platform, where users can participate in public conversations and share text updates. Threads is distinguished from Instagram which is primarily a photo-sharing app. The new app is seen as a potential threat to Twitter, as it has garnered over 5 million signups within an hour of the release, claimed Zuckerberg.
How to Sign up For Threads
Threads app is available in India to download from the website threads.net and on both the online stores Google Play Store and Apple App Store. By simply following these steps, you can easily signup for Threads:
1. Search Threads on Instagram, Play Store, or App Store and download the app
2. At the screen bottom, locate “Login with Instagram”, and enter your Instagram user ID and password
3. Now you get the prompt "Import from Instagram" for entering the profile information, link, bio, and profile picture from Instagram by tapping respective icons, or can do it manually as well. Tap next
4. Choose your preference between a Public profile and a Private profile. Tap next
5. Now you find an option of "Follow all" to follow everyone you follow on Instagram, either hit the button or follow selectively, or simply skip. Tap next
6. Hit "Join Threads" and you are logged in to the Threads
The term “Tweets” is being replaced with “Threads” and in place of “retweets” Threads use “share”. The “Like” feature remains the same in both apps. For Sharing new threads, tap on "New Thread" and share the message through your profile.
Extensive Reach
Within just two days of its launch, the Threads app has skyrocketed in popularity, garnering an astonishing reach of over 55 million users. The user-friendly interface of Threads app has captivated a vast audience seeking a streamlined and personalized messaging experience.
Comparison With Twitter
On Twitter, non-blue-tick users are restricted to 280 words messages and videos of 2-minute length, while the limit for subscribers of paid Blue-tick is widened to 10,000 words and they are privileged to share videos up to 2 hours longer.
In Threads, all users can post 500 characters in one post and attach images, videos, and links of maximum 5-minute duration.
The Instagram Quote
The official Instagram post by Threads reads as, “We built Threads with tools to enable positive, productive conversations. You can control who can mention you or reply to you within Threads. Like on Instagram, you can add hidden words to filter out replies to your threads that contain specific words. You can unfollow, block, restrict or report a profile on Threads by tapping the three-dot menu, and any accounts you’ve blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads.”
“Everyone who is under 16 (or under 18 in certain countries) will be defaulted into a private profile when they join Threads. You can choose to follow the same accounts you do on Instagram, and find more people who care about the same things you do. The core accessibility features available on Instagram today, such as screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions, are also enabled on Threads.”
Safety And Compatibility
In the announcement, safety concerns were also addressed and users were ensured that “Instagram’s Community Guidelines” will be enforced on interactions and content in the app. The Threads is also planning to be compatible with the open-social-networking-protocol ActivityPub, which would make Threads correspond with apps supporting ActivityPub protocol including WordPress and Mastodon. This feature would place Threads where no other app stands.
Conclusion
The instant popularity gained by Threads indicates it is a potential competitor of Twitter, also due to its easy connection with Instagram. Definitely, Instagram is an aiding factor for Threads to become an instant hit. But the rest depends upon the future, let’s wait.