Giant tech company, Meta, will officially launch its own microblogging app, Threads on Thursday.
With the structure of its service, Threads will ultimately serve as a competitor to the popular social media platform, Twitter.
The launch comes in the wake of a new feature introduced by the latter, which limits the number of tweets users can see per day.
While the Threads app is yet to be available for download, intending users can obtain an invite to the service using their Instagram accounts.
Here are steps to get a Threads invite via Instagram:
-Open the Instagram app and navigate to the Explore page. Click on the search bar on the page and type in the word “Threads”.
-A ticket emoji that states ‘Admit one’ will appear at the far right end of the bar. Click on the emoji and you will be directed to the Threads invite which includes your username (similar to the one you have on Instagram), a QR code, a numeric code, and a “Get Threads” icon at the bottom of the screen.
Clicking on the icon will direct users to Threads on their App Store.
-The QR code on the invite can also be scanned to redirect users to Threads on their App Store.
Alternatively, you can navigate to your profile page on Instagram and click on the hamburger menu (a three-line icon) at the top right corner of your screen.
-The menu contains the Threads option which will direct you to your personal Threads invite.
The app is self-described as a place “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow”
It also aims to help users connect directly with their “favourite creators,”, “build a loyal following” and share their “ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”
The Instagram-based app will pose a big threat to Twitter due to an already existing large user pool. While Instagram boasts of about 2 billion active users, Twitter only has 450 million as of March 2023, according to analytics firm, Demand Sage.
Threads will be immediately available for iOS users when it launches on Thursday. Android users will have to wait for a few more hours after the original launch.
Also, Threads will not be available for users in European Union countries due to data privacy regulations.
The launch of Threads will intensify the already existing rivalry between Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk. Both billionaires have agreed to battle it out physically in a cage fight at a yet-to-be-named location and time.
Twitter will also have to contend with Bluesky, another rising competitor built by the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey. Bluesky witnessed a high level of traffic over the weekend, shortly after the limiting feature was implemented on Twitter.