Threads review: More community and cute pics, less news and virtual shouting (so far)
Meta officially launched Threads, its offering as a rival to Twitter, last week.
Numbers for Threads — dubbed the “Twitter-killer” by some — are promising. According to The Verge, Threads users have surpassed 100 million. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the app launch was “way beyond our expectations.”
Elon Musk, who took over Twitter in 2022, voiced his criticism of Threads when it launched last week, accusing Meta of cheating. “Competition is fine, cheating is not,” Musk tweeted.
Despite its criticisms, the new Meta app “could pose a serious threat to Twitter,” according to CNN. Here’s everything you need to know about Threads.
What is Threads and how does it work?
Threads, created by Meta, is a very similar app to Twitter. According to CNN, “The platform looks a lot like Twitter, with a feed of largely text-based posts — although users can also post photos and videos — where people can have real-time conversations.”
Much like Twitter, Threads users can post messages, thoughts, articles, pictures, videos, etc. to the app with a 500-word limit. Users can also repost and quote other Threads posts.
Also, Threads is directly linked to your Instagram account — you can choose to follow those who you follow on Instagram on Threads, and you can share your Threads posts to your Instagram stories.
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“The vision for Threads is to create an option and friendly public space for conversation,” Zuckerberg said in a Threads post, per CNN. “We hope to take what Instagram does best and create a new experience around text, ideas, and discussing what’s on your mind.”
Threads reviews
Instead of just hearing my opinion of Threads (I’m just one person! What do I know?), I asked my colleagues to share their thoughts on Threads.
Three members of the Deseret News Trending Team — Hanna Seariac, Margaret Darby and me, Natalie Issa — bravely gave Threads the ol’ college try over the weekend. Here’s what we thought.
Hanna Seariac: Threads is a breath of fresh air
My first reaction to joining Threads was a sigh of relief. Instead of being greeted with the usual garden variety of hot takes on hot-button issues I’ve become accustomed to seeing on social media, my feed was a mix of commentary, fun pictures and excitement about the new “Barbie” movie.
It’s probably too early to tell whether or not this will last — the algorithm could change and the polarization temperature could increase. But for now, Threads is a pleasant place.
On other social media platforms, the majority of content I’ve seen has been from people I don’t follow. While sometimes this has led to me seeing people who I would like to follow, it’s also contributed to the social media burnout I’ve experienced.
Threads scratches the itch for me: I want to see thoughtful reporting and commentary, good recipes and read what matters to people, but I don’t want to be bombarded with polarizing content. As of now, my experience on Threads is positive.
It’s also easy to use. While the search function on it is both a little hard to find and limited, posting and scrolling is — as of now — a joyful activity. I still see commentary about the news of the day, but the tone seems more thoughtful than other platforms.
When I opened my app today, I saw a NPR story about Tracy Chapman’s song “Fast Car,” a New York Times article from David French, pictures of “The Chosen” and a recipe for scrambled eggs — in other words, the content I want to see. I can’t quite put my finger on why Threads is turning out to be a much less aggressive platform, but it’s a welcome change.
Margaret Darby: The app is uncomplicated — and ready to evolve
Full disclosure: When Threads entered the overcrowded social media world on Friday, I rolled my eyes. Did we really need another form of social media? I neglect the few accounts I have. More social media upkeep is something I want to avoid.
But Threads is in its humble beginnings era. It reminds me of Instagram circa 2012, before overfiltered and overposed photos dominated the app. Or Twitter, before it became a magnet for polarizing political takes and was better known as the birthplace of memes.
There is nothing complicated about Threads. It’s a blend of Twitter and Instagram without the egos. My feed is dominated by offbeat memes, witty commentary on life and wholesome baby animal pics. No one is trying to earn notoriety on Threads (at least not yet) which sets it apart from popular social media and makes it less intimidating. Like the Gen Z-preferred app, BeReal, it welcomes random, silly and frivolous posts that don’t require any proofreading or filters.
Well-known media outlets such as ESPN, Vogue and The New York Times have already made themselves familiar with the app, but people I know personally have been slow to create accounts and start posting. As use from everyday people increases on Threads, it is sure to evolve. Right now, it offers a refreshing alternative to Twitter and Instagram.
Natalie Issa: Approachable and easy, Threads fosters community
Look, I am a simple gal. I am often easily amused. I love pictures of people’s pets. I enjoy funny pictures and clever takes.
Perhaps that is what Twitter was at its inception, but when I finally created an account in the mid-2010s, that was no longer the case. I found Twitter to be far too intimidating and confrontational and, when reading tweets with the aggression I imagined them to be written with, I would be plagued with a minor headache.
That is why I always preferred Instagram over Twitter. It’s a great place to see what my friends are up to, follow my favorite influencers and, at the very least, post cute pictures of my dog.
Threads feels like an extension of the community of Instagram that I enjoy. Instead of hot and contentious takes from strangers, I see dog pics from people I know and follow. Instead of pithy (and sometimes unwarranted) commentary, I chuckle at funny memes. Threads is by no means a place to get news — popular, newsy content that circulates around Twitter doesn’t get the same traction on Threads — but maybe that’s what makes Threads less combative.
My one complaint of Threads is that it doesn’t really have a search function. You can search for users, but if I wanted to see, say, a feed full of pictures from the “Barbie” movie premiere, I was out of luck.
Threads is by no means perfect, which plenty of tech people have been quick to point out. But if you, like me, are an average joe and not a tech person, you’ll likely see Threads as a much more approachable, and less intimidating, alternative to Twitter.
What is the difference between Twitter and Threads?
According to Technext, there are quite a few differences between Twitter and Threads. Here’s a few things Twitter has, but Threads doesn’t (so far):
No direct messaging.
No web platform — you can only access Threads via the app on your phone.
You can’t delete your account — you have to delete your Instagram to delete your Threads account.
No search, trends page, tabs, etc.
No hashtags.
Additionally, you need an Instagram account to have a Threads account. This is a pretty big difference from Twitter — you don’t need to have an account on another platform to have a Twitter account.
What do critics have to say about Threads?
“The biggest difference is that Threads feels substantially less confrontational, less aggressive, and less based around shouting at strangers with different political views than Twitter,” Jim Waterson wrote for The Guardian. “The racism, antisemitism, transphobia and general abuse that is prevalent on Twitter is just nowhere near as visible.”
Scott Goodstein wrote of his safety concerns for The Hill, saying, “After my first day on Threads, I already faced issues that have plagued Twitter — a blatantly similar type of platform — for years. I had fake profiles and bots already following my account. If Threads wants to succeed, it needs a bobbin to keep it running smoothly.”
“Is Threads good? In my opinion, no, not now. It’s a messy, purely algorithmic social media experience that has not put stimulating information in front of my eyeballs during my first handful of hours using it. But being good isn’t exactly the point,” Alex Kirshner wrote for Slate. “Maybe Threads will become good, but that might be a luxury rather than a need. Zuckerberg will have to try really, really hard not to own the leading Twitter alternative when the dust settles.”
“The most visible users on Threads, then, are those who’ve made posting on Instagram their job, and those people, outside of good meme accounts (most of which already post their best material on existing platforms), are pretty much all boring, brand-safe, or rehashes of ancient internet virality bait,” Rebecca Jennings wrote for Vox. “So far, the main thing Threads has done is reiterate the relative superiority of Twitter, despite Musk’s best efforts to ruin it.”
