The Impact of Meta’s New Twitter Alternative App Threads

The timing is very interesting due to the current restrictions on viewing tweets.

Yesterday, without any warning, Meta’s new Twitter-esque message board app was seemingly going to be called ‘Threads’. It appeared in the Google Play Store in some regions.

Some people don’t understand why ‘Threads’ is the name it is going with, given that Meta already launched and shuttered a separate messaging app called Threads back in 2021.

Seems potentially cursed, but Meta looks to be going with it anyway.

According to app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Meta’s new ‘Threads’ app will enable users to port their IG username to the new, conversation-based platform.

It will essentially open up DM chats on a more public basis, like Twitter, but with an IG Direct tilt.

According to the Play Store description of the app, Threads are where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what will be trending tomorrow.

Whatever interests you, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things.

You can build a loyal following to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world. So, yes, it is a pretty concise description of Twitter and how Meta is pitching for its new app.

Meta is been working on its text-based platform for some time. It was exploring a ’decentralized social network for sharing text updates.

The decentralization element now seems to be of lesser consideration. Instead, Meta is focusing on using the scale of Instagram as a springboard to build a viable Twitter alternative.

It is a home for several cast-offs who are unhappy with Elon Musk’s changes to the app.

It is also noted that it is all about reaching a new peak, with Twitter implementing new limits on how many tweets people can view to combat data scrapers.

If Twitter users following a trending topic like the war in Ukraine or NBA free agency are now being impacted by these new limits.

They could indeed be increasingly keen for a new conversational home though the new app is seemingly not available, with the Play Store listing.

So why has it suddenly appeared, with little fanfare, and on a long weekend?

It could be a glitch or a mistake at the Play Store end in making it viewable too early. It could be a limited test by Meta as it moves to the next stage.

Either way, it now looks like a new tweet alternative is very close.

It could be a new battleground for Twitter and Meta, literally and figuratively.

Twitter owner Elon Musk and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg are reportedly set to engage in a cage match sparked by early discussion of Meta’s rival app.

This fight could reportedly be hosted at the Colosseum in Rome, with reports suggesting that the Italian Government has inquired about hosting the bout.

Italy’s Ministry of Culture has denied all this. But the fight itself could be going ahead, with the two mega billionaires set to fight to prove something physically.

It might be just window dressing or a publicity stunt, as Meta is trying to drink Twitter’s milkshake.

With the broader shift towards DM chats instead of feed posting, it might be the right time for the new iteration of Threads, though, again.

Some users remain concerned that launching a new app of the same name is a doomed strategic blunder.

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