Instagram (Meta) has released its challenger to Twitter, and you should get on board early.
Twitter has been my go-to source for finding the news and seeing posts from media outlets and creators for years. My experience on Twitter has been changing since the Elon Musk takeover, and I have used the platform reluctantly because there has been a serious alternative just now. With the growing anticipation of Threads, Instagram has released the Threads app one day earlier than it was previously scheduled.
The app went live at approximately 6 PM EST on Wednesday, July 5th and here is my experience using Threads and thoughts on why Threads will become the next big social media platform.
Easy Sign-Up Process
If you already have an Instagram account, joining Threads is simple and painless. Download the app from the App or Play Store, once downloaded. The app will allow you to select an Instagram account to log in. Select the Instagram account, and you have officially joined Threads! You are prompted to follow all the accounts on Instagram or start fresh and discover new accounts on Threads.
Visually Familiar
The Threads looks and feels like the bird app (Twitter) with the UX touches of Instagram. Photos, images and carousels are displayed instantly in high resolution with little to zero lag.
An Established User Base
Instagram has a massive advantage over similar apps like Blue Sky, Mastadon, Spill, etc. It is effortless for existing Instagram users to migrate and join the platform with their existing login credentials, following and usernames that they already use on Instagram. Being able to instantly connect with the same account and friends you have on Instagram immediately populates your timeline with your community and people you know instead of finding each account you want to follow. Luring creators from Instagram has the advantage of having established creators transfer their content from Instagram or rehouse the content they would've posted on Twitter. With the app only being hours old, thousands of established media outlets, brands, influencers and creators are actively using Threads to experiment with content on the platform.
The Demand
There has been pent-up for a Twitter alternative for many months, and users have been hanging on while looking for new platforms. It's been a collective sentiment with the paid access to use all of Twitter's features and the unwelcome changes to the once beloved platform. The is a genuine excitement for the launch of Threads like it's a moment in pop-culture history. Is it too early to make a statement like that, fuelled by a lot of recency bias? Yes, probably, but Vine was the last time I recalled this excitement. Vine was a cultural movement a decade ahead of TikTok with short-form vertical videos that quickly became the origin of trends, jokes and memes. People wanted something else, and Instagram has delivered. So far, people are enthusiastic about it.
A Dream for Distribution
With Threads under the ownership of Instagram/Meta, I foresee a future of posting directly from the Meta Business Suite to make it easy for businesses and brands to distribute content on Facebook, Instagram and Threads with one centralized account. Social media managers will initially dread the new platform as it's another platform for creating content. However, in the dream world of posting to 3 major social media networks, using one access would make it very simple logistically. Yes, competition is good, but as a social media manager and content creator, the potential of centralization does excite me. Advertisers will also appreciate spending their ad budgets on one account versus multiple and utilizing the data generated by users across different Meta properties.
Experimental Content
With millions flooding to Threads, creators will find new styles and types of content to acquire visibility and followers on a social platform in its infancy. In their early Threads content, established creators MKBHD, iJustine and Sarah Dietschy have already been using the platform to experiment with posting new content. It will be exciting to see how users will welcome this content from creators they already follow, with the potential to bring in new followers and followers from their YouTube audiences that never or rarely used Twitter but might check out the Threads hype.
Opportunity for Brands
With the rise of new social media platforms, it presents a unique opportunity to capture an audience by posting content and creating for an audience that will discover new accounts via the Home feed that acts like a For You Page (FYP) - a collection of content that you might like based on what you have previously engaged with and account you follow. There are many success stories with businesses and savvy social media managers creating viral content with early adoption and first-mover advantage. Be creative with content and design to stand out.
The Future of Threads
Predicting the future of social media is never easy, but I believe Threads will quickly become the new go-to platform for short text-based content and be embraced by a wider audience. The financial backing of Meta will undoubtedly be a massive advantage for the platform's viability.
I look forward to my Threads future and seeing this platform evolve. Good luck with your Threading!