The social media wars continue. This new volley is with Mark Zuckerberg’s launch of Meta’s new app called Threads, postured by its creator as a “friendly” rival to Twitter.
Personally, I rather see Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, Twitter’s owner, duke it out in a UFC-style cage match, but that’s just me.
For now, they seem to be content to brawl in the press, trying to entice users to waste even more time on social media.
The Differences
Threads bills itself as “Instagram’s text-based conversation app.” Users can connect all Meta apps – Facebook, Instagram, and now Threads – with the same username and password, making sharing between the apps seamless.
Zuckerberg claims this feature gives Threads a competitive advantage over Twitter. Those who sign up for Threads immediately have the potential to access Instagram’s over 2 billion users.
While the newest social media platform shares many features of Twitter, Threads allows 500 characters to Twitter’s 280, and a 5-minute limit versus a 2-minute, 20-second limit for video content on Twitter. A paid-for blue checkmark account on Twitter does allow for longer posts and video content.
Neither app allows for editing posts, but again, users can pay for that feature on Twitter.
Threads doesn’t allow for direct messaging or display trending stories or hashtags like Twitter.
Also of note – once you sign up for Threads, you cannot delete the account without deleting your Instagram account, but you can “deactivate” your Threads profile.
This makes data sharing, including health, financial, and browsing data linked to users’ identities, according to the Apple App Store, a big concern for many.
The public has dubbed the new app “Twitter Killer.” On its first day, Zuckerberg claimed Threads attracted 30 million users. I imagine many are curious to see the difference between the two text-based “town square” style apps, but may not stick around.
Slammed for Censorship
Already, conservative voices are slamming Zuckerberg’s newest venture for censorship reasons. This should not come as a surprise given Instagram’s policies. Meta’s apps have often been accused of banning posts and reels that violate its “hate speech” policies, particularly those that criticize transgender ideology.
Zuckerberg says keeping the platform “friendly will ultimately be the key to its success.”
In other words, blocking posts that offend any particular group, likely any protected class, which is just about anyone other than white cisgender males.
It seems like Threads is shaping up to be the virtual version of “safe spaces” on college campuses.
Musk expressed the same sentiment saying, “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, then indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram.”
Twitter Fights Back
Twitter has already threatened to sue Meta according to a letter first reported by Semafor. The complaint from Twitter lawyer, Alex Spiro, states that “Twitter has serious concerns that Meta Platforms has engaged in systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.”
Indeed, many contest Zuckerberg’s innovations are nothing more than copycat versions of other successful apps like Snapchat and TikTok.
One particularly humorous tweet showed a picture of the “Ctrl” “C” and “V” keys of a computer keyboard stating: “Meta’s new app was built entirely using this keyboard.”
Do We Really Need Another Twitter?
I took a little stroll through Twitter over the weekend just to get a gauge on what’s going on out there.
The first clip I came across was one of a transgender woman (which is a biological male) begging for support to start lactating via a Go Fund Me Page because he wants to provide children with “transgender breast milk.”
Next up was a video of Jill Scott at Essence Fest in New Orleans belting out a version of the national anthem, denouncing it not as the land of the free but the “home of the slave.”
Finally, a video of Kamala Harris dropping some wisdom on the same audience that was listening to Jill Scott, who by the way is worth $12 million.
“Well I think culture is … it is a reflection of our moment and our time, right? And, and, and … present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment. And, and we should always find times to express how we feel about the moment that is a reflection of joy, cause … you know … it comes in the morning.”
Do we really need another social media platform for this kind of drivel? Can we all just take a step back and see what a ridiculous spectacle our lives have become?
As you can probably surmise, I will not be downloading Threads and for the sake of my mental health, will likely delete Twitter from my phone for a significant amount of time.
I suggest you follow suit and give the outrage machine a break.
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor and opinion writer for 19FortyFive.com with a conservative spin. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics, and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
From 19FortyFive
Could Joe Biden Get Impeached?
Something Is Wrong With Kamala Harris
‘Breathing Fire’: Donald Trump Goes Crazy On Fox News Interview
