Threads

There’s a new social network in town! It’s called Threads, and it comes to us courtesy of Instagram (owned, of course, by Facebook).

This new venture is the company’s take on microblogging (think Twitter, but with slightly longer posts). Threads is primarily text-based and encourages conversation rather than one-way broadcasting. And since it allows users to register their existing Instagram accounts, a lot of people have signed up.

Having used Threads for just a little while, I already get the impression that this has the potential to replace Twitter for the general public in a way no other social network has. It makes me happy to see not only my nerdy friends on there, but also less tech-inclined people whom I’d never expect to see on Mastodon or even Twitter these days. There are lot of celebrities, brands, and public figures there, too. Threads might just be the next big thing.

It still has a ways to go. The app is missing some basic features like hashtags, the ability to see if someone is following you, and a non-algorithmic timeline. Plus it’s not as accessible as it should be by a long shot. But based on the amount of activity and enthusiasm I’m seeing for Threads, I’d say it’s off to a solid start.

The addition I’m looking forward to most is federation. Most users won’t notice or care, but Threads is unlike other social media platforms we’re used to in that it’s built to interconnect with other networks like Mastodon. The promise is that “soon,” users will be able to follow each other across different platforms, which means I’ll get to follow my friends on Threads from my Mastodon account in my preferred app Mona. That’s a dream scenario for me, and I can’t wait for it to become a reality.

In the meantime, I’m having fun trying out Threads and seeing just how many people jump onboard. If you’ve signed up, let’s follow each other and get some threads going!