Threads Is Here, Threads Is Inevitable

By Dustin Rowles | Social Media | July 6, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | Social Media | July 6, 2023 |

Within days of Elon Musk taking ownership of Twitter.com, an alternative to that social media platform felt almost inevitable. It’s a site that’s deteriorated over time. For the better part of eight months, it’s been less a question of whether the user base would eventually jump ship but rather where to. A number of social media apps endeavored to take the crown — Mastodon, Bluesky, Spill, Post.News, T2 Social — but the issue with each was less about the platforms themselves and more about their user base. None of the other platforms had amassed a large enough subscriber base to maintain user engagement.

Now Threads has arrived, marking a tipping point. By leveraging its existing Instagram user base, Meta managed to register 30 million users within 24 hours, and these users already had a base of followers to engage with their every “threat” (which is what I’m calling a Thread Tweet). This contrasts with Bluesky, which has only amassed 200,000 users so far. Moreover, celebrities, brands, and news publications are already on Threads and posting away, almost as if they’ve always been there.

Threads is not without its issues. For one, there’s no way to follow just your followers yet, so many new users will be inundated with strangers and a lot of celebrities striving for attention — the whole platform has a very Jimmy Fallon/James Corden/Ellen DeGeneres vibe, which is to say: It presents as friendly and welcoming, but in reality, it wants your money and your data. The good news is that they’re working on a followers-only feed and plan to roll out a web-based platform eventually.

Predictably, Elon Musk is not a fan. “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram,” he tweeted. I’m not a fan of Threads yet, but it’s still far better than a platform that not only allows but elevates Nazis. One other advantage is that Threads is decentralized, meaning it can ultimately operate across multiple apps (like Mastodon) in the Fediverse.

It’s also apparent that Mark Zuckerberg rushed Threads’ launch to take advantage of the chaos on Twitter. A Direct Message feature is still missing, and its moderation options are minimal. Signing up invariably means forfeiting your privacy rights to Mark Zuckerberg, a billionaire who doesn’t need additional billions (if you sign up, you also cannot delete your account without also deleting your Instagram account). Nonetheless, it’s where the celebrities, politicians, and news sources are now, and the major draw of social media is, if anything, the opportunity to receive a Like from Tom Brady or to pile-on Colin Jost.

Personally, I will continue to post under my name on Bluesky, but our site will share our most popular posts on Threads. I now wish I’d made an effort to cultivate an audience on Instagram.