Meta has finally launched their Twitter rival, Threads. My quick thoughts:

  • The killer feature is that signing in was exceptionally easy using my existing Instagram credentials, which were already on my phone because I have Instagram installed. I didn’t even need to re-enter my password. Same username, same avatar, and I opted in to following the exact same accounts on Threads that I follow on Instagram. This will generate a lot of people joining the platform.

  • The website is view-only. You can’t log in, post, or reply. This is obviously by design for the initial launch. I assume they will offer a website version post-haste.

  • The timeline is algorithmic. It basically is the For You tab from Twitter. It shows people you follow and far too much from people you don’t. This is obviously by design for the initial launch. I assume they will offer a Follow-Only tab in the near future.

  • There are no hashtags. I don’t care one way or another, but I bet they get added

  • Search is weak, but I bet they fix that soon too.

  • One feature Threads has launched with are quote posts (or what are retweets in Twitter). This is good.

  • You only get 500 characters per post, which feels about right for a micro-blogging service.

  • No ads. This is obviously by design for the initial launch. I assume they will include in-line ads sooner rather than later.

  • I do not care one iota about ActivityPub, but apparently it is forthcoming.

I signed up because it was stupid easy, but I have not really engaged with the platform much because I don’t like the For You tab on Twitter. I want a timeline comprised of my curated accounts, not this jumble of algorithmic nonsense.

Ultimately, I think it will work. It hasn’t quite yet turned Twitter into MySpace, but the longer Elon Musk is in control, the quicker it will fall apart. Celebrities, brands, governments, and media people miss the centralized, corporate, “social media of record” feel that Twitter gave them before it became Musk’s personal website. On Threads, they have it back. This is why it will work. All the other players from Mastodon to BlueSky are dead in the water.