We downloaded Meta’s new app, Threads, in the Puddle office.

Here’s how we think it will change the social media landscape.

If you’ve been anywhere on the Internet in the past few weeks, you’ll know about how slippery Elon Musk’s grip is getting on Twitter, and, seemingly, his sanity.

After last week’s disastrous introduction of a rate limit for how many Tweets non-paying users could see in a day (a measly 600, compared to 6,000 for the cost of $8 per month), Musk was greeted with #twitterisdead trending around the world. Predictable? Probably.

It wasn’t surprising, then, when Mark Zuckerberg announced the release of a new app on Wednesday. ‘Threads’ appears to fill the Twitter-sized void that will likely be left in many peoples’ phones. The microblogging platform looks similar to Twitter, is connected to your Instagram account, and, according to Zuck, has the ‘tools to enable positive, productive conversations.’ 

Being a marketing agency, we didn’t have any choice. We downloaded Threads. Obviously.

Read on to find out what we think, and if Twitter is really dead and gone forever.

The Threads vibe

‘We just don’t know the vibe,’ said our Social Media Manager, Daisy. And it doesn’t look like anyone else knows, either. After my scroll this morning, it seems like users are confused. Is it like Twitter, a platform for polemics and the daily news? Or is it more like Instagram, and will Threads have a more wholesome user experience? 

Ultimately, nobody’s worked it out just yet. To be fair, it has only been a day – but who knows what to post on a replica of a dead platform? Hopefully we’ll scope out the vibe soon.

Insta’s identity crisis

We’ve spent a fair amount of time on Twitter, the digital marketing people that we are, and the main view of that landscape is obscured by vitriol. To put it more precisely – it’s a platform that gets vicious. Twitter has a real problem with negativity; posting seems to open users up to a constant stream of criticism, and it’s hard to enjoy a social media experience shot through with diatribes. 

We’re wondering how Threads will compare. On TikTok, user Coco Mocoe explained how Instagram, and the more gracious atmosphere of the app, is due to its ties with users’ identity. People are less likely to be vicious online with identity irrevocably attached, she says, and we have to agree. Whilst TikTok and Twitter can enjoy a certain anonymity, the daily-life-following of Instagram makes for a family-friendly kind of experience. You’d show your gran your Insta, for example, but definitely block her from your Twitter. 

The fact that Threads is completely intertwined with your Instagram is a good sign. Maybe, hopefully, all fingers crossed, it’ll be a platform that is miles away from the hostility of Twitter. Maybe, you won’t have to block your gran.

The future?

At least, deep breath, there isn’t yet a limit on how many Threads (is that the word?) you can see for free. There’s even a 500-character count, so if we need to complain about the user experience on the platform, we’ve got more space to do it in. And, as people have noticed, the logo is identical to the Simpsons’ ears. We’re thinking it’s going to be a bit sillier, if nothing else.

Whatever happens with Threads, we hope it’s not as cringe-inducing as Reels can be. In the Puddle office, we’re going to learn everything there is to know about the new platform, whilst keeping tabs on Twitter, too. Hopefully it won’t be a boxing-match situation, Elon vs. Zuckerberg style. 

For help with any of your social media, Threads included, give us an email at [email protected]. We’re happy to help!

(Oh, and, follow us.)