Look out Twitter. There’s a new social media tool in our belt and this one is poised to take over the playing field. Meta’s new tool Threads is converting millions of users every day and at the moment, it looks unstoppable. 

Like Twitter, Threads uses many features and easy-to-use functions that make communicating in the digital world easy. Users can send and post photos and videos, direct messages, and share docs. Arguably the most powerful side of this thing is the ability to join public conversations, a feature that Twitter revolutionised almost two decades ago. 

Signing up for Threads is easy if you already have an Instagram account. Just open the Threads App and choose your Instagram account to activate and link. Next, you can choose to have your Instagram bio, profile picture, and website link added to your profile. Finally, you can link up with anyone you follow on Instagram. 

Threads is a microblogging platform, just like Twitter, and gives you a similar experience, with a few exciting exceptions. These unique features and design elements make Threads more attractive to some users. First, you have a 500-character limit on Threads posts. Twitter users only have 280 to play with before they have to create a new thread or start a new conversation. Thread’s 500-word limit allows users more room to express themselves, and for many people in industries like journalism, this is a good thing. 

The user experience is much different as well. Threads don’t feature any ads, while Twitter does. Many users switched over to Threads because of its cleaner and more Instagram-like interface. 

Twitter still has its popular “Trending” feature which allows its users to see what’s popular in the world of social media and the internet. If a celebrity drops a nail-biting bit of gossip or someone posts a controversial tweet, it’ll often pop up in the Trending tab. Threads on the other hand doesn’t have this type of feature yet. Another major difference, as of now, is that anyone can sign up for Twitter and start posting, regardless of whether you have an Instagram account or not. 

The most significant difference users note is related to this ability for ANYONE to be heard on Twitter. Since being acquired by billionaire Elon Musk in October 2022, Twitter has been tied up in never-ending controversy, from bot accounts to hate speech. Threads came into the world of social media on July 6, 2023, and have since done more to filter hate speech and aggressive trolling. Thread’s commitment to creating a non-toxic environment for its millions of users is just one of the many things it has going for it. 

That’s not to say Threads is immune to toxicity. According to many media experts, creating a safe place for users to engage with each other is important for keeping investors, press accounts, and advertisers on the platform. Thanks to Twitter’s toxicity, Meta’s Threads was able to draw in millions of new users overnight. If the platform can maintain this momentum past the hype of its launch and continually improve its usability, it can have a lasting impact on society. Perhaps, it will even outlive Twitter.