It is truly never a dull moment for those who work in social media, let alone teach, research, or consult in it. There are many changes that emerge across the board for the industry – bringing new features, discussions, and of course “gurus” in the latest and greatest tool.
The news that hit the interwebs this week of course aligns with all of these points. Threads, the Twitter clone app from Meta and Mark Zuckerberg hit the app store and immediately garnered millions of users. As the app became available, many jumped on board and started sharing their thoughts and perspectives. We also have new emerging “thought leaders” saying they are all in on Threads.
I was able to get on early to the platform and there are some things I do like, and others I hope could be addressed in future updates, such as:
Lots of features that are for the user to consider. Threads does allow you to control the conversation and filter out some of the noise we often see on social (of course, we have to have questions on if this is noise we do want to hear, or if it is spam – that’s something to note and evaluate in your account). Updates are 500 words and can share additional multimedia (photos, videos at 5 min, etc) to a post. There are some unique creator controls that are offered on the platform – which is a nice feature to have on social media.
It is nice to have the app connected to IG. I do like that feature so it’s technically a “new platform” but I would rather see this as it being a new channel. Similar to IG stories, it does allow you to cross promote and share your content on IG and other platforms.
Nice to bring your verification status to Threads from IG. I think that was very cool to see! Nice feature to explore, but will be interesting to see if this will be a late add on cost to the verification tool. You can also keep your username from IG (big plus) and even copy your bio right there as well.
The logo could have been different. Is this my favorite social media logo ever? No. Is it the worst I’ve ever seen. No. I am thinking it could have been developed a bit more to fit into the 2023 and beyond look. That’s just my two cents.
Will be interesting to see how the API and data analytics/analysis will develop. It’s still early on for this, but I know many will have questions about this from the research community. Will there be third party tools like what was available for Twitter for Threads?
Lots of questions related to applications of Threads for classes and beyond. I think there is some potential opportunities here, but also lots of questions. For example, can you have a Threads chat and community set up? What can be done to build a personal brand on Threads and is this another extension, or separate community for your personal brand? I am sure there will be lots of discussions about this for #SMprofs.
From being in this industry for a while now, it’s key to remember:
Threads is a tool – like other social media platforms. It’s one that may make it compared to other Twitter clones out there, but it may not. We all do not have a crystal ball telling us which platforms will or will not make it. Time will have to tell! However, we can expect ads, promotions, and more coming from Threads. A big question of course for researchers and professors is whether or not Meta will be open to researchers using their API for research purposes. This was a huge draw and feature that many professors liked about Twitter, so it will be interesting to see how this evolves.
However, Threads could integrate what has worked (and not worked) for other platforms. Threads could learn what has worked for IG, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snapchat and others to see what they can do to bring forward a valuable, unique, and very engaging experience. Of course, with any platforms there are challenges and obstacles that have to be addressed (ex. spam accounts, bots, etc).
Will Threads have a creator community? This was one of the issues we have seen discussed over and over again related to IG, TikTok, Snapchat, and more. Will there be an extra incentive to encourage audiences to post and engage on Threads? How will this be set up? Lots of questions here related to this.
Brands and social media professionals are not the ones Meta has to encourage or win over – it’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha. If Threads is able to be integrated into the age cohort culture and community of the younger generation, they will have a strong chance to succeed. All you have to look at is the social media lifecycle of platforms and see how the younger generation moved from one platform to the next, and it became the next big thing. The question for Threads and the Meta team is this – how can they persuade and KEEP these audiences there? That’s the million (or even billion) dollar question.
The roadmap is somewhat clear. Threads is still figuring out the details, features, and what it can offer that makes this platform unique and different from others.
One thing is for certain – Elon Musk will respond to this. Make no mistake, Musk will respond to this and personally, I will be there with some popcorn to see what happens. We all have heard of the Zuck vs. Musk want to actually fight (again, did NOT have this on my bingo card and will have to add this note to my social media class in the fall). I do not think that Threads as of yet is a “Twitter Killer” as highlighted and showcased in the news. At the end of the day, there will be users who will be on Twitter, and others that will be on Threads. And then there are those of us who are on social media for our work and are passionate about the field – so we are everywhere!
One thing is for certain – working in social media is never, ever dull! We will have to wait and see how this all plays out.
Hope you all have a great day!
Best Wishes,
