For years, social media, was roughly the same, albeit with different platform, having their own distinct iterations and interpretations. However, social media companies are now completely changing how they have approached things and adding some cool stuff like blockchain and AI to social media platforms.
They’re ditching the idea of squeezing everyone onto one platform and instead making special spaces where people can hang out and check things out. That’s what fediverse, the idea upon which Meta’s new platform, Threads, is all about.
As a result, it promises to be a completely different social media experience where each person gets their own spot and can hop onto different platforms from there. It’s supposed to be pretty neat. However, the only thing that people seem to care about, is how different, or similar is it to Elon Musk’s Twitter, the platform it aims to replace.
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We take a deep dive into Threads by Instagram, its various features and limitations to answer one simple question – Is Threads a worthy adversary for Twitter and should users hitch their wagon to Meta’s new platform and completely let go of Twitter?
Threads Review: Design and interface
Logging in and setting up an account on Threads proved to be a simple task. All it took was a few taps to access the app using your Instagram account. Once you’re in, you can easily connect with your friends from the platform, and you’re immediately taken to the home page. The app automatically populates your information using the data you provided on Instagram.
The first thing that stands out is the app’s remarkable polish, especially considering it’s a new platform. In my opinion, it surpasses both Facebook and Instagram in terms of quality. The overall interface maintains a minimalist design, incorporating modern fonts, animations, and iconography that are visually appealing. Moving between tabs and pages feels seamless and effortless.
Notably, there are unique animations for reloading pages, posting content, and following new users. Additionally, you’ll notice new aesthetic elements, like small knots at the thread margins whenever you repost something.
We also like the fact that unlike Twitter, if users upload multiple images, it shows up as a carousel, instead of creating tiny preview images that sometimes look very bizarre.
However, apart from these aspects, the remaining features of Threads sadly resemble Twitter. The home page resembles Twitter, where you can view posts from everyone. You have the ability to like, comment, and repost them. A new addition is the option to share posts across platforms, specifically on Facebook or Instagram stories.
Commenting on a post generates a thread that visually resembles Twitter, and the process of liking or reposting works similarly. The profile view is also quite similar, with a Threads tab for your own posts and a Replies section for comments. Currently, there isn’t a dedicated Media tab, but it’s likely to be added in the future.
The “follow” tab reminds one of Instagram, and its functionality is also comparable. If you have a private profile, you can accept or decline follow requests.
Overall, while Threads doesn’t revolutionize the social media landscape, it manages to deliver a “Twitter-like” experience that feels more refined and immersive.
Threads Review: Features that stand out
As a new app, Threads offers a straightforward and functional experience, focusing on the core features it aims to deliver. It provides a text-based platform inspired by Twitter, allowing users to perform most of the actions available on Twitter. This includes posting text or photos, reporting content, replying to posts, creating threads, and liking them. Users can also follow others or send follow requests (if the profile is private), which can be accepted or rejected in a separate tab.
In addition to these features, there are some ecosystem functionalities integrated into the app. Users have the option to directly share posts to Facebook and Instagram stories, expanding the reach of their content. Moreover, the Profile section includes an Instagram icon that provides a convenient shortcut to access a person’s Instagram profile.
Furthermore, it’s important to mention the planned fediverse feature, which is not yet active. During the registration process, users receive a message indicating that decentralized features will be introduced in the near future. This implies that users will be able to utilize their domain on Threads (username followed by dot net), seamlessly transitioning to other decentralized apps like Mastodon.
While these features may be considered basic, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the primary focus during the app’s launch is to ensure stability and handle heavy traffic without crashing, while still offering essential functionality. While there is room for improvement, the ability to fulfil these fundamental tasks successfully is a significant accomplishment.
Threads Review: The stuff that we hated
Although it may not seem like a major problem, it’s important to point out the missing features for new users considering joining the platform. Currently, there is no separate tab on your profile to view media like you can on Twitter. Additionally, there is no option to send direct messages, which greatly limits one-on-one interaction. There is also no section for trends, and you can’t have a page dedicated to threads from the accounts you follow; it’s a mix of followed and recommended content.
Another issue is the inability to edit a post. This is especially confusing because Instagram already allows users to edit captions on their photos and videos. If the people behind Threads plan on charging users for this feature, they will face resistance, just like Twitter did.
The platform’s algorithm is also not very advanced. If you make a few posts with specific keywords, the recommendations suddenly start showing you similar content. However, this is not as obvious or noticeable as it is on other platforms owned by Meta.
Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of focus on hosting video content similar to Reels, which Twitter is actively promoting. Instead, Threads displays long, vertical videos directly in the feed. Some people may like this, but we believe there should be a separate tab for videos that adjusts the feed based on the video’s aspect ratio.
Data collection is another issue with Threads. Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey have strongly criticized Meta and Mark Zuckerberg for the amount of personal data Threads collects. Regardless of what Meta claims, Threads has no business collecting sensitive information such as health data, bank account details, messages, emails, or monitoring how users use certain apps. It’s unlikely that Meta will be able to defend this decision.
However, the most troubling aspect of Threads is that users cannot delete their Threads account without also deleting their Instagram account. It’s puzzling as to who came up with this idea, and why no one stopped to think, “Maybe we shouldn’t do that?”.
Threads Review: Verdict
Having experienced and used numerous social media platforms during their early stages, I find myself uncertain about the future of Threads. While it has a polished and smooth interface, along with a minimalist design that I appreciate, at its core, Threads is essentially a clone of Twitter. It functions and feels like Twitter, offering the same features. It lacks a unique selling point (USP) of its own, which is a harsh reality. Successful social media apps in the past had something that set them apart, while the rest failed.
Granted, it’s still early days, and we need to wait for the introduction of fediverse features. There may also be new additions to the platform in the future. But currently, unless you’re someone who is tired of Twitter’s frequent policy changes or a devoted Meta follower, I struggle to see why anyone would choose a platform that has the same user base as Instagram and offers the same features as Twitter.
While decentralization is a revolutionary concept, especially when it comes to social media, I’m not convinced that the average Instagram or Twitter user is deeply concerned about it. This presents a challenge for Meta to convince people who simply want to browse reels, memes, and watch cat videos online to join Threads.
