The Meta Threads app: Here to stay or DOA?

• July 7, 2023
• no comments

By Nupur Abrol, Account Manager, Digital; Jonathan Forani, Senior Editorial and Media Strategist; and Jean-Philippe Guay, Directeur de comptes, Montreal

—

New social networking apps pop up every year, but few have amassed the kind of attention that the new Meta Threads app has in just 48 hours.

As of Friday morning, the Threads app has been downloaded by more than 70 million Instagram users and been dubbed a “Twitter killer” by some, pitting both apps famous billionaire owners against one another in an internet showdown.

But what do Mark Zuckerberg’s and Elon Musk’s apps have in common, how are they different, and how should brands respond?

Meta’s Threads app vs. Elon Musk’s Twitter

Meta’s “text-based conversation app” looks and acts a lot like Twitter. However, since only Instagram users can sign up right now (this will change once the app is opened to people verified by ActivityPub), the demographics are expected to be slightly different between Threads and Twitter, mirroring the demo differences between Instagram and Musk’s app.

While the demographics may differ for now, the content itself will look similar to Twitter: copy, live engagement, newsworthy, short-lifespan content, and discussions. At North Strategic, we’re already tracking channel conversations for our clients from various perspectives: communication corp, thought leadership, news, sports, tech and gaming.

In a statement, Meta explained that Threads is designed to “enable positive, productive conversations” for “real-time updates and public discussions.” Some key differences include the ability for Threads users to control who can mention them or reply to them, unlike most Twitter controls; the ability to add hidden words to filter out replies to your threads that contain specific words; and the ability to unfollow, block, restrict or report a profile. Plus, any accounts a Threads user had blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on the new app.

Early adopter advantage on Meta’s Threads

Threads has the highest acquisition rate of any other Twitter alternative launched since Musk acquired the platform. For this reason, the North Strategic digital strategy team recommends brands secure an account on Threads so they can gain an early-adopter advantage. Securing an account now allows your brand to have a presence, a voice, and limit the risk of impersonation.

—

To learn more insights about how Threads and other social networking apps may help or hinder your brand experience online, reach out to our team now.

Contact