Finally Threads has also arrived in Europe and then in Italy, last week. Although the official launch was this summer (and in the very first days someone had already played with the platform, bypassing the technical boundaries) it took several months to overcome some bureaucratic obstacles relating to European regulations. But now he is actually here and the Italian public he poured into it with great enthusiasm. But why? And above all, how do you live with Threads now?
What were the first days of Threads in Italy?
Let’s take a step back to get us all aligned: what are we talking about? Threads is basically Meta’s (the group that controls Facebook and Instagram) version of Twitter. In essence it is one of the many platforms created and/or developed for capitalize on the collapse of the blue bird’s social networkwhich started some time ago and accelerated in recent months under the control of Elon Musk.
There are a few technical differences actually – including the fact that it is part of the fediverse or that it has a very close connection to Instagram – but they are not important for the purposes of this article. If you want, you can find around techgameworld.com many pieces that can delve deeper all these aspects (the advice is to start from this).
Its official launch was paradoxically stronger than the unofficial one last July. Creators and users of all kinds quickly flocked to the new platform, immediately testing its boundaries and rules, trying to better understand the algorithm and trying out the different features straight away. As a social media enthusiast, It was fascinating to discover this very rapid evolution.
In these four days or so, Threads Italia has already experienced several of what we could define as waves. There was the moment of the first posts, of doubts about the functioning of the app, of the use of vowels, of letters to the algorithm to indicate the contents that one wanted to see, of the study of the boundaries of censorship (closer to Instagram than to Twitter), complaints about “nude” photos, the rediscovery of follow4follow, posts to generate engagement including the legendary “only wrong answers” and the clash with influencers, to be kept away from this platform. And this list is certainly incomplete it will be updated this evening.
But why this desire to launch on a “new” platform?
The arrival of Threads in Italy was also the opportunity for stop and reflect on social networks, also due to the coincidence of the so-called “Pandoro-Gate” and everything that follows from it. And it is interesting to understand why it had such an impactful launch, which at least from inside the app it can be perceived as full of enthusiasm.
The answers are multiple. Of course there is a part of FOMO, especially for the more established creators, who must immediately “put their foot down”, lest it become the new phenomenon and be left behind. On the other hand there are those who see it as an opportunity. A new platform, where we all start from scratch and you can build a following without having to chase. That’s not true, because you never start from scratch (especially here where you almost automatically bring Instagram followers and followings with you) but there is that idea.
Post by @tiuzza
View on Threads
There’s a part of that too taste of the new house, where you can rearrange it the way you want and do everything from the beginning with past experience. And again, there’s an element of eliminating barriers to entry. Writing a post on Threads (who knows if one day we will say “threading”?) It does not require technical tools or particular skills.
I don’t need to know how to use video editing software, photo editing programs, lights, microphones, webcams like on the other social networks that remain active. It’s a bit of a return to statuses on Facebookbut without having the audience that Facebook now has and with the possibility, thanks to the magical algorithm, of reaching people who go beyond the circle of friends.
Threads is a way to escape Twitter Italy
Since he officially arrived in Italy, I I really used Threads a lot. It has also displaced TikTok and Instagram from my social habits and I am posting very frequently. I’m doing it freely, testing the waters to understand what the mechanics of this platform could be. There is a “scientific” curiosity in this, as well as a mix of more or less all the reasons which was discussed above.
But the central point why I landed on this platform is that I missed Twitter. I was a supporter of the chirps from the first hour and periodically returned to the office, to use it more and more. But the more I wanted to open itread the tweets and make some of my own, the more that social network rejected me.
Every now and then I promised myself I would get active again. Then I opened the app and noticed that I couldn’t find any of my friends or creators that I was interested in following. I entered the trending topics and discovered them everything I wanted to stay away from, a pit of terrifying negativity. And all this too before the change of ownership which, I candidly admit, gave me some hope of change, quickly extinguished.
In these first four days of Threads Italia however it feels like you can see that world. Finally being able to find yourself on a platform where you can go back to publishing thoughts freely, without having to worry about finding the best time, the precise frequency, the light, the editing and so on. All with an atmosphere far from the dark envy found elsewhere. At the moment.
How long will the Threads Italia idyll last?
We’re old enough in terms of our relationship with social media to know full well that this is only the first phase. What those who study macroscopic human behavior would call the “honeymoon phase”, where everything seems beautiful and there is great enthusiasm. And precisely because we are old we are already wondering how long this will go on.
Someone already brings out the data from overseas, which they predict a vertical collapse in the use of the platform after the first few days. Others respond that the American market is not as equal to the European one as it may seem.
The fact must then be taken into account that the bulk of the audience has yet to arrive. And above all, Threads has no defense tools in place to protect it from replicating Twitter’s user base. We’re still testing the boundaries of moderation, but Meta’s track record doesn’t promise a paradise of peace, positivity, and joy.
In short, there is a good chance that this platform turns off quickly or live long enough to become what we fled from (yes, I paraphrased that sentence). But maybe for once it could go well and remain a space that is not perfect, but still pleasant and positive. And I I will try to give my contribution to keep it that way for as long as possible. And who knows, maybe one day we will actually say “threaddare”.