With 10 million users in the first seven hours of launching, Threads has broken some records when it comes to social media debuts. The founder and owner of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, is not even trying to deny that the social media platform has mimicked some of the features Twitter has. Even the name, Threads, is a name of one of the features Twitter introduced back in 2017. Threads became one of the most beloved updates for Twitter users right away. Back then, the app managed to retain its signature small character range while at the same time allowing users to express their lengthier opinions uninterrupted.
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Threads: The Origin
A similar feature was later integrated into pretty much all the other popular social media platforms, and finally, we have a brand new one with the same name. One Threads post currently has a 500 character limit, like, reshare, and reply options, making it a pretty convenient way to share what you have to share online. And the new users seem eager to do so. Most users revealed that they had more activity on Threads in a day than they had in a month on Twitter. Given how Threads has no fancy, sophisticated features (not even a trending page yet), this is quite impressive. But it’s also understandable that because it’s so new, people are excited to try out everything on it.
How Does Engagement Work on Threads?
One interesting thing about the kind of activity Threads has been getting ever since its launch, is the way engagement works. Not only for those already on the platform but for Instagram users as well. The thing is, even if you make zero posts on Threads, you still have the following count. How? That’s something no social media platform has ever done before. The secret behind this is pretty simple and straightforward, actually. Your Threads and Instagram accounts are linked, so whenever someone signs up on Threads, their Instagram followers who are (or will be) on the platform, automatically become their followers.
Alright, but what’s so exciting about that? Threads has a simpler interface, less people, and no fancy features yet, right? And while that could be a drawback for some people, it also gives users the incredible advantage of being more seen. There are fewer people than on any other platform, and there are no such features as “suggestions”, sponsored posts, or even ads yet, so the main focus is on users, their followers, and potential followers. Meaning, if you do some things to grow there now, once the app becomes more sophisticated (and arguably, more business oriented), you will be somewhat established and have better chances of benefiting from future features.
How Will that Benefit New Users?
As some users revealed, a single post they randomly made on Threads has received more engagement from their small following count than it would have received if it had been made on Twitter to their much larger audience. No surprise here, whatsoever. Before your followers see your posts on Twitter, they have to scroll through a whole different timeline (with no “you” there, unless you’re in their “circle”). Even if they scroll through the timeline with their followers, they will be scrolling through ads most of the time, something someone liked, ect. So, you see, it’s pretty inconvenient. Unless you go viral, or make your post sponsored, you’re pretty invisible on Twitter.
Not to mention, Twitter charges people to be verified, so they can benefit from some of the best features Twitter undoubtedly has for advertising, branding, and marketing (whatever that might be). There are also countless bots and no supervision of the content that should be flagged, objectively speaking. It’s not minor-safe, it lags or goes down at least once every other day. That’s not the case with Threads.
Try it Yourself?
The excitement levels for the new platform are at an all time high now. Third party social media platforms have already started implementing special packages for growth, offering users the opportunity to buy Threads likes, followers, and even reshares. It seems like it’s going down a pretty standard route of how social media platforms are born, developed, and then go extinct (something that happened to MySpace and Vine, and is likely to happen to Twitter too, if Elon Musk keeps up introducing useless updates that literally nobody asked for).