Meta takes on Twitter with Threads, an app for sharing “ideas and trends through text”

From Thursday (6 July), audiences will be able to access Threads, Meta’s answer to Twitter. This month, Twitter has rolled out a series of changes to the platform due to mass data scraping. Reading limits were recently placed on Tweets and its dashboard application Tweetdeck will soon be placed behind a paywall.

On the Apple App Store, where the platform is currently available for pre-order, Threads is described as “an Instagram app for sharing ideas and trends through text”. So far, Threads platform looks to be a free service, though many, like former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, have pointed to the wide-ranging data points the platform may collect on its users.

While information about Threads is sparse on the App Store, the platform has launched a series of teasers – many of which feel like part of a promotional campaign for a festival. An official countdown site for Threads has appeared online, featuring a QR code alongside an interactive graphic of a galaxy made up of pink and orange orbs.

Instagram users have also shared screen recordings of what look like admission tickets to Threads, accessible via the Instagram search function. Each ‘ticket’ features a launch date and a user’s existing Instagram handle. The first in-app screenshots of Threads suggests that users will be able to transfer their existing Instagram handle over to Threads and follow the same accounts.

The Threads logo taps into the at sign (@), a symbol used across social media networks. Zuckerberg employed a similar tactic with the name Meta, in a bid to own an online concept and symbol not previously owned by one company.

The Apple Store says: “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”

The launch will place Meta in direct competition with Twitter, fuelling the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who last month seemed to agree to a “cage fight” on Twitter.