- Meta has launched an app where users can share text, links, photos and videos
- DailyMail.com tested the app – so does it live up to its ‘Twitter-killer’ reputation?
- Follow the Daily Mail on Threads here
Moments after starting up Meta‘s new Threads app, a friend remarked in a Thread, ‘This is more brutal than the cage fight takedown would have been.’
Mark Zuckerberg has certainly come out swinging with Threads, which already feels like a bustling, vibrant community, complete with a ready-made blue-tick aristocracy from Gordon Ramsay to Shakira, and sports stars including Tom Brady, Steph Curry and Jake Paul.
The app has launched in more than 100 countries, and had a staggering 10 million sign-ups in its first few hours.
Much of the chatter is currently around the platform itself: ‘Twitter will die’, asserts one user, while another asks, ‘Is this the new Bebo?’
So what is Threads like to use, and does it really live up to the hype? DailyMail.com installed the new app and tested all of its features.
What is Threads and how easy is it to use?
Threads looks clean and simple, and offers a text-based interface which feels very familiar if you’ve used Twitter.
It’s so similar that as the day has unfolded, ‘classic’ Twitter virals such as the dress which could either be blue-and-black or white-and-gold have cropped up on Threads.
There’s a reply button, a repost button, and (refreshingly) an option to repost a Thread to other social platforms including Twitter – something starkly lacking on Twitter and other social platforms.
Meta has made much of the fact that (unlike Musk’s Twitter) there won’t be any attempt to lock people in, and Threads accounts will be open and easy to transfer to other platforms.
Replies are grouped together with a line running down the side, which feels similar to conversations on Reddit.
At present, the feed is pleasingly devoid of adverts, promoted posts and videos (although this will doubtless change at some point).
There’s also full suite of safety features: you can block specific words, unfollow, block and restrict profiles.
What’s more, any accounts you previously blocked on Instagram will be blocked on Threads.
Follow the Daily Mail on Threads here
Is it easy to set up an account?
Set-up is a pleasingly simple process using your Instagram account details, which you can customize as you see fit, adding a bio or changing your image.
If you have an Instagram account, you already have a Threads username pre-booked, although it’s worth noting that to delete a Threads account fully, you actually have to delete your Instagram.
You also can’t at present change your username.
You can, however, deactivate your profile or set it to private, much as you can on Instagram and Twitter.
You’ll be offered the option to follow the same accounts you do on Instagram, which can be a little jarring if you use your Instagram differently to Twitter.
But as with ‘new Twitter’, if you want a blue tick, you’re going to have to fork out for Meta’s £10/month Verified service.
It’s not clear whether the impressive numbers of influencers and celebrities already on Threads have forked out for the privilege.
The feed here seems to bring ‘new stuff’ more reliably than a refresh on Twitter does, although at present there’s only one feed, so you can’t filter down to just the people you’re following.
What is the Threads feed like?
At present, the algorithm which serves up content seems more random than the one underlying Twitter, with a stream of very online people, influencers and even the odd crypto person and rabid Elon Musk fan mixed into my feed.
Threads describes the feed as people you follow, plus ‘recommended content from creators you haven’t discovered yet’.
Unlike on Twitter, where Elon Musk recently raised the character count for Verified blue tick accounts, most posts on Threads are short and to the point, with posts limited to 500 characters.
Posts can include up to 10 photos, web links, YouTube videos and embedded videos up to five minutes in length.
What’s missing?
So far, there are a few things missing which will presumably be added in later updates.
There are no direct messages, no hashtags, and perhaps most distressingly of all, no GIFs.
There’s also not really a meaningful search function (although Meta promises one will arrive soon).
DailyMail.com tested the current search function by looking for ‘dungeons and dragons’, which disappointingly brought up the official account for the brand rather than any related content.
No limits
Compared to Musk’s recent chaotic attempts to halt ‘scraping’ on Twitter, everything is open here.
Threads will be compatible with ActivityPub, an open social networking protocol built to work with other apps including Mastodon and WordPress.
In time, this will mean users will be free to transfer their content to another service – which feels like a breath of fresh air after Musk’s ham-fisted attempts to ‘take control’ of Twitter.
Follow the Daily Mail on Threads here
