We Tried Threads – Here’s Our Impression
Twitter’s big rival is here. Here’s how it feels to use it.
Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got it: Threads by Mark Zuckerberg, one of the most promising competitors of Twitter.
Launched on July 5, the app currently boasts 100 million users and continues to expand its user base.
Connected to Instagram, which reportedly has 2 billion users, the app is available in the Apple Store and Google Play in the US and UK, with the EU yet to give it the green light.
We decided to download and test it without further ado. Here’s our first impression.
“This sh*t is safer than Twitter.”
To sign in to the app, you need an Instagram account that will automatically create a Threads profile. Once you’ve done that, you’ll get to edit your profile. Note: You can’t alter your Instagram nickname, so you’ll be stuck with whichever silly alias you have unless you change it on Instagram.
Threads’ profile example. Source: Threads’ app
The app allows you to choose your profile’s mode— either private or public—and has a built-in button that enables you to switch between your Threads and Instagram accounts, as well as two tabs “threads” and “replies”. To create a thread, all you have to do is press the button in the middle of the lower bar, and you’re good to go.
Threads’ profile example. Source: Threads’ app
Threads’ thread writing process. Source: Threads’ app
If you’re a native Instagram user, the app will most likely be very intuitive.
The interface is pleasing to the eye and shares many visual similarities, such as likes, comments, retweets, and DMs. It’s also very millennial-like in its appeal, an observation that some of the users shared. For example, Casolholm.
Cassolholm’s thread. Source: Threads’ app
The initial reactions to the launch were overall positive. In response to Threads’ announcement that it went live in over 100 countries, some users, like lewishowes, replied, “This is addictive already.”
Threads’ app thread. Source: Threads’ app
Others were even more honest in their initial assessment, with ddg threading, “this shit feel safer than twitter..”
Ddg’s thread. Source: Threads’ app
The crypto community is jumping on board as well, Gagarin News included.
Crypto handles on Threads. Source: Threads app
So, will it replace Twitter?
One of the many memes in Threads. Source: Threads app
Our first take: Not necessarily. The audiences of these two apps, while undoubtedly intersecting, may turn out to be different in the end.
Twitter has the reputation of being a highly politicized platform, with a large presence of political institutions and actors. Can we see them migrating to Instagram and using Threads? The answer is mixed. Some of them already have a presence on Instagram, but it might be “too millennial” for them to actually fully migrate to Threads.
It also depends on where Mark Zuckerberg decides to take this app. At the moment, Threads lacks such key Twitter features as hashtags and the trending section. Some users noted that they are essential to a platform like this as they allow you to navigate and find relevant info.
Elon Musk’s future actions are no less important. His continuous tampering with the platform’s functioning, problems due to Twitter’s potential non-compliance with the EU’s Digital Security Act, and the apparent desire to turn Twitter into a platform where conspiracy theorists and deniers of attested truths are put on an equal footing with others are affecting the platform. Should the situation not improve, it could force many to leave Twitter for good.
Regardless of all these factors, we think it’s quite safe to say that Threads is Twitter’s solid competitor.
Have you tried Threads? Let us know on Instagram (or Threads). Tag @Gagarinnews.
