In a bold move to expand beyond photos and videos, Instagram has announced the release of Threads, a revolutionary app designed for sharing text updates and engaging in public conversations. Developed by the Instagram team, Threads offers a dedicated space for users to express their ideas, connect with friends and creators, and join real-time discussions. With the aim of shaping the future of the internet, Threads is set to become compatible with open, interoperable social networks.
Connect, Share, and Engage in Real-Time with Threads, Instagram’s Latest Innovation
Drawing on the massive user base of Instagram, which connects billions of people worldwide, Threads builds upon the platform’s strengths and extends them to the realm of text-based communication. Just like on Instagram, users can follow and connect with friends and creators who share their interests, including those beyond Instagram’s network. Moreover, users can leverage the existing suite of safety and user controls, ensuring a positive and creative environment for self-expression.
Getting started with Threads is as simple as logging in using your Instagram account. Your username and verification will seamlessly carry over, granting you the option to personalize your profile specifically for Threads. For enhanced privacy, individuals under 16 years old (or under 18 in certain countries) are defaulted into a private profile upon joining Threads. By following accounts from Instagram and discovering new like-minded individuals, users can curate a feed that encompasses threads from their connections and recommended content from undiscovered creators.
Posts on Threads can span up to 500 characters and incorporate links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. Users have the flexibility to share their Threads posts on their Instagram story or share them as links on other platforms. To promote positive and productive conversations, Threads provides tools that allow users to control who can mention or reply to their threads. Similar to Instagram, the app includes a feature to filter out replies containing specific words. Unfollowing, blocking, restricting, or reporting profiles can be easily accomplished by tapping the three-dot menu. Notably, any accounts blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads as well.
Safety remains a top priority for Instagram, and Threads is no exception. The app will enforce Instagram’s Community Guidelines to govern content and interactions within the platform. Over the years, Instagram has invested more than $16 billion to bolster its teams and technologies dedicated to user protection, continuously advancing its integrity efforts and community safeguarding initiatives.
Excitingly, Threads aims to achieve compatibility with ActivityPub, the open social networking protocol established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This would enable Threads to interoperate with other apps supporting the ActivityPub protocol, such as Mastodon and WordPress, fostering unprecedented connections across platforms. As other notable platforms, including Tumblr, have expressed intentions to adopt the ActivityPub protocol in the future, Threads seeks to provide users with more control over their audience. The vision is to allow individuals using compatible apps to follow and interact with Threads users without requiring a Threads account, fostering diverse and interconnected networks. Public profile users will be able to reach new audiences effortlessly, while private profile users can approve followers, similar to their Instagram experience.
Embracing open social networking protocols offers benefits beyond expanded user connections. Developers can create innovative features and user experiences that seamlessly integrate with other open social networks, driving rapid innovation and experimentation. Each compatible app can establish its own community standards and content moderation policies, empowering individuals to choose spaces that align with their values. This decentralized approach, akin to the protocols governing email and the web, is poised to play a pivotal role in the future of online platforms.
Threads, Meta’s first app envisaged to be compatible with an open social networking protocol, aspires to empower individuals in finding their communities, regardless of the app they use. By joining the growing ecosystem of interoperable services, Threads aims to revolutionize social connections and engagement.
Available for download on iOS and Android in over 100 countries, Threads is set to undergo continuous development and expansion. Upcoming features include improved recommendations in the feed and a robust search function to facilitate real-time tracking of topics and trends. Instagram eagerly awaits user feedback as they strive to introduce exciting new features and enhance connections on the app.
In a world increasingly interconnected by social media, Threads emerges as a powerful tool for sharing ideas, fostering meaningful conversations, and creating lasting connections.
