Instagram Threads has arrived.
Yesterday.
And today it already has 30 million subscribers.
We could say that we didn’t expect it, that such a success was not remotely predictable, that it was a bolt from the blue. But that wouldn’t be true.
Also because Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta and founder of Facebook, is not a fool. And this time he did his homework really well.
What is Instagram Threads?
Instagram Threads is the Twitter of Meta.
We don’t think there’s a quicker, more understandable way to describe the new social network. Also because it is evident that it was born with the aim of taking the place of the blue bird, taking advantage of a period of crisis that has been going on for years and which reached its peak with the acquisition and management of Elon Musk.
Meta had therefore been working on it for a long time, with the aim of launching the app at the end of July.
Then Twitter made another slip – the famous limit of 1000 tweets a day – and so Zuckerberg, who is a guy who studies and knows two or three things about social networks, decided to bring it forward.
We will then remember the July 6, 2023 come the launch date of Threads.
Stop.
It’s too early to decide whether it will be a global success or a resounding flop.
For now let’s stick to the facts and what we’ve learned, starting with the description.
“Threads is where communities come together to discuss anything, from the topics that interest you today to what will be trending tomorrow. Whatever interests you, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things, or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”
In short, the basis is similar to that of Twitter and, to tell the truth, also of Facebook. But the cap is that of Instagram. There is no official explanation but we can imagine at least two:
Ok, we promised to stick to the facts so let’s put aside the assumptions and understand what Threads is.
Threads: how does it work?
Threads is the “child” of Instagram and this involves two things:
This inter-dependency allows you to start using the app right away. You don’t have to search for interesting people by hand and you don’t have to go crazy to set up your profile: in a minute you’re up and running.
It seems trivial but let’s take, for example, Mastodon. It’s another social network similar to Twitter but we abandoned it at the speed of light because we didn’t know who was subscribed, how to find known people, how to animate our feed. With nothing to read, and zero time to invest in research, we stopped using it after a couple of days.
Threads leans on Instagram to eliminate the problem and give you a social network that is already fully functional, rich in content and stimuli.
The downside is that to unsubscribe from Threads you will also need to delete your Instagram profile.
And, mind you, we don’t think it’s an oversight by Meta: it’s a strategy. It’s a way to connect people and keep users on the new social network, at least for now.
Once inside, you will be faced with 5 different tabs.
The first is the home and contains the feed, that is, all the posts published by the accounts you follow.
Posts can includeand texts (up to 500 characters), images and videos while the interaction foreseesand likes, comments, reposts and shares.
Stop everyone… shares where?
Well, you can add a thread to a Story, you can publish it as a classic Instagram post, you can tweet it or share the link on any other app.
The second tab is that of research that, currently, is limited to users. So don’t look for topics and don’t even look for hashtags (which don’t exist here), you can only find other subscribers, just like you.
The central tab allows you to start a thread, with the ability to attach media, while the fourth icon takes you to activity: new followers, replies received, any mentions and verified users have been collected here.
You read that right: “verified users”.
The blue check exists and is inherited from Instagram.
Finally we have the profile with username, photo, bio and any link. From this tab, you can also access the settings, classic and related to privacy, and your Instagram profile, because yes, there is an icon that teleports you to the other side.
First impressions
We’ve been on Instagram Threads for less than 24 hours.
And it’s like being on Twitter.
Not the one of now, of 2023, but the one of 2012.
There is buzz, there is interest, there are many posts and lots of interaction. And we reflect together, we reason to understand if this new social network makes sense and has a future.
However, it is clear that he does not yet have his true identity.
Today Threads looks like a clone of Twitter which, however, lacks elements that make (or made) its competitor interesting.
There is no section dedicated to trends to understand what the world or the country is talking about today.
There are no hashtags to click and follow.
You cannot search for topics, only users.
This causes the timeline to be more than anything else a long succession of posts that cannot be governed in any way. And it becomes difficult to find new people to follow.
Instagram sends you a notification to tell you that Tizio X has subscribed to Threads but Tizio X you already know him.
How do I broaden my horizons? Well, as of today it’s an unanswered question.
The other element of discussion concerns the “what to post”.
Copy and paste from other social networks?
Do I use words only and no media?
Or do people want photos and videos here too?
It may seem trivial but we have seen creators ask their audience for it. In fact, all of a sudden they have found themselves with an extra platform and understandably have to understand what their sequel expects.
Threads is therefore today’s “place to be” but we don’t know if it will be tomorrow too.
Don’t panic though: it’s useless to think about what’s to come. For now it is essential to understand if and for what we want to use it.
How do I download Threads in Italy?
Formally… you can’t.
Instagram Threads is not officially available in Europe. In fact, Meta preferred to postpone its release to be able to understand how to adapt to the various European regulations on privacy and data management, which probably means that today Threads would not comply with the GDPR.
The fact that the app is not present on the stores does not mean that you cannot install it.
On Android just download the apk (the installation file) from one of the many alternative stores on the net, on iOS instead there are those who have created an American iCloud account and those who instead use TestFlight, the app that allows the installation of the beta versions of the applications.
However, there is no web version accessible from a browser so, alas, the smartphone is the only way.
On having to download it or not, we leave the appropriate assessments to you.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of this new social network.