Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, stated that ten million users registered for the Threads app within seven hours of its release.
He pitched the program as a "friendly" competitor to Twitter, which Elon Musk purchased in October. According to experts, Threads could attract Twitter users dissatisfied with recent platform changes.
Threads permits users to post up to 500 characters and has many Twitter-like features. Previously, Mr. Zuckerberg stated that the platform's "friendliness... will ultimately determine its success."
Mr. Musk responded that it is incomparably preferable to be assaulted by strangers on Twitter than to use Instagram's pain-masking features. When asked on Threads if the app would be larger than Twitter, Mr. Zuckerberg responded that It will take some time, but he believes a public conversations app should have 1 billion or more users.
Competitors have criticized the app's potential data usage. Threads is now downloadable in over 100 countries, including the United Kingdom, but not yet in the European Union due to regulatory concerns.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, referred to the new app as an "initial version" and stated that additional features, such as the ability to interact with users of other social media apps such as Mastodon, are planned. Prior to the launch, the company stated, "Our vision for Threads is to take what Instagram does best and apply it to text."
Even though Threads is a standalone program, Instagram accounts are used to log in. Their Instagram username is carried over, but there is an option to customize their Threads profile. Meta reports that users will also have the option to follow the same accounts as on Instagram. The application enables users to maintain their Instagram privacy while making their Threads posts public.
The publication of the new app follows criticism of Meta's business practices. Frances Haugen, a whistleblower for Meta, stated that the company had prioritized "profits over safety" and criticized the platform's moderation last year.
The company was also rocked by a scandal in which it permitted third parties, including the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, to obtain the personal information of Facebook users. Mr. Musk joked on Monday, ostensibly in reference to the company's tumultuous history, "Thank goodness they're so rationally managed."
There are numerous alternatives to Twitter, including Bluesky and Mastodon, but they have struggled to acquire popularity. Threads has a significant advantage due to its integration with Instagram and its hundreds of millions of existing users. Posts on Threads can be shared to Instagram and vice versa, and they can contain links, photos, and videos of up to five minutes in duration. However, some early users reported difficulties uploading images on Wednesday, suggesting teething problems.
Users see a feed of posts from individuals they follow, referred to as "threads" on Meta, as well as recommended content. They have control over who can "mention" them and can filter out comments containing specific terms.
It is also possible to unfollow, block, restrict, or report other profiles, and accounts that are barred on Instagram are automatically blocked on Threads. While Meta emphasizes its connections to Instagram, the media has focused on its similarities to Twitter, and some investors have referred to the app as a "Twitter killer."
