Revealed: Zuckerberg’s ‘Twitter-killer’ which will be unveiled on Thursday – as Facebook boss exploits chaos facing Elon Musk’s social media platform
- App called ‘Threads’ will be linked to Instagram and is set to launch on Thursday
- Now available to pre-order on Apple but only on Google Play for some countries
Photos of Mark Zuckerberg’s new social media platform have been released for the first time today as experts brand the app the ‘Twitter Killer’.
The Meta CEO has stepped up his personal rivalry with bête noire Elon Musk by launching Threads: a ‘text-based conversation app… where communities come together’.
Screenshots on the Apple App Store show that Threads looks remarkably like Twitter and links user’s content to their Instagram account, allowing them to post their thoughts – with or without pictures.
Detail about Threads and how it works is scant, but it is understood that users will be able to curate Insta posts as usual while also posting their opinions and links in the same way they would in a tweet.
Experts claims the similar style of interface set to be used by Threads, shared in the announcement via screenshots, was a ‘strategic and intentional decision’ by Meta, as it aimed to create a platform with ‘as little friction as possible’.
The analysts added that the platform’s link to Instagram means Threads has ‘the potential to become hugely impactful to Twitter’ and is ‘by far the biggest threat that Elon Musk has faced so far’.
Screenshots for the new Meta app Threads, as seen in the Apple app store today. People have said it looks remarkably like Twitter
Apple app store images for Threads, described as ‘Instagram’s text-based conversation app’
Listed as ‘Threads, an Instagram app’, it is now available for pre-order on Apple’s app store
Listed as ‘Threads, an Instagram app,’ the software is described on Apple’s app store as ‘Instagram’s text-based conversation app… where communities come together’.
Experts said today that Threads is poses a huge threat to Twitter because it is linked to Instagram, which has 500million daily users worldwide.
It appeared all Apple users could see it on their app store today, but Android users could only see it on the Google Play Store in certain countries – not including Britain.
The plans from Meta have been announced just days after the Tesla CEO imposed temporary restrictions on Twitter users, citing problems with how many companies and websites are making use of Twitter’s data.
What do the experts say about Threads?
‘It does have the potential to become hugely impactful to Twitter. This is by far the biggest threat that Elon Musk has faced so far.’
James Clayton, BBC’s North America technology reporter
‘I do think a new microblogging leader will emerge to supplant Twitter, but it is far from a foregone conclusion that the winner will be Meta.’
Steve Teixeira, Mozilla chief product officer
‘I’ve seen Meta do a very good job of picking up business models or product features and copy-pasting. Haters are going to say that they lack innovation, but I actually think this is smart.’
Meghana Dhar, former Instagram executive
The same restrictions do not apply to accounts who pay for a blue tick, usually held by celebrities, high-profile individuals and companies. They can view 10,000 posts a day compared to 1,000 by non-verified users.
TweetDeck users are also fuming after Twitter also announced it is to become the next part of the company to be limited to users who have paid for verified status.
Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst, said Twitter users were crying out for a more satisfying platform after being left unhappy with changes following Elon Musk’s takeover.
He said: ‘I think that Threads is the first real, credible threat to Elon Musk’s Twitter.
‘Users of Twitter are desperately looking for an exit from the platform to escape, and the existing options of rivals are fairly limited.
‘They all have the same big problem, which is you have to start from zero – it’s a network that is completely new. One of the biggest benefits for Meta is that it’s building off the back of Instagram, where people are familiar and can also kickstart their following because it ties into the same social graph.’
The BBC’s North America technology reporter James Clayton told Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘It looks almost identical to Twitter in pretty much every way.
‘I think the one way that is very different to Twitter is that this is connected to Instagram. I’ve been speaking to Meta sources for the last few months, it’s come out of Instagram, it very much has access to hundreds of millions of Instagram accounts.
‘And so this isn’t just starting from zero like many of Twitter’s other competitors. It has that huge treasure trove of users in Instagram, so that’s why journalists like me and others are quite excited by this, because it does have the potential to become hugely impactful to Twitter. This is by far the biggest threat that Elon Musk has faced so far.’
Meta will benefit from having access to more than two billion monthly active Instagram users. Twitter meanwhile is estimated to have 364million monthly users.
Steve Teixeira, Mozilla chief product officer and a former Twitter and Meta executive, told the Wall Street Journal: ‘I do think a new microblogging leader will emerge to supplant Twitter, but it is far from a foregone conclusion that the winner will be Meta.’
Meghana Dhar, a former Instagram executive, added: ‘I’ve seen Meta do a very good job of picking up business models or product features and copy-pasting.
‘Haters are going to say that they lack innovation, but I actually think this is smart.’
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announced in mid-March that it was working on a new social network
It comes amid a period of uncertainty at Twitter since Elon Musk took over in October
It comes as the rivalry between Mr Zuckerberg and the Tesla billionaire, who bought Twitter in October, continues.
Last month, the pair – two of the world’s most high-profile billionaires – agreed to take each other on in a cage fight with the Colosseum in Rome a potential venue. The exchange went viral on social media.
Musk appears to be more keen having repeatedly urged Twitter users to delete their Facebook accounts, calling the social network ‘lame’.
Thread’s launch comes after a period of uncertainty at Twitter since Mr Musk took over in October, with the billionaire restructuring the company, firing thousands and placing many features behind a subscription paywall.
READ MORE TweetDeck is DOWN: Dashboard crashes as Twitter limits the number of posts users can read – and some claim they can ONLY see Elon Musk’s tweets
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced in mid-March that it was working on a new social network whose description made it a potential competitor to Twitter.
Threads will enable users to ‘connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things – or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world,’ according to its app store description.
Meta said: ‘We’re thinking about a decentralised, independent social network for sharing written messages in real time.’
The arrival of the new app comes after Twitter announced TweetDeck is to become the next part of the company to be limited to users who have paid for verified status.
The app, which allows users to manage multiple feeds and searches, will only by accessible to verified users in 30 days, according to a tweet from Twitter Support last night.
A new version of TweetDeck has been made available with the tweet giving instructions to update.
The announcement follows Mr Musk saying two days earlier that users were being limited to reading 600 posts a day.
He said the limit, which had been introduced ‘to address extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation’, had been increased to 1,000 later on Saturday.
The stated aim of the decision was to limit the use of the social network’s data by third parties, in particular companies feeding artificial intelligence models.
But the restrictions could result in users being locked out of Twitter for the day after scrolling through several hundred tweets.
Zuckerberg replied on his Instagram story, sharing a screenshot of Musk’s challenge, writing: ‘Send me location.’ The Meta CEO recently placed a jiu-jitsu tournament in May
Musk (right) challenged jiu-jitsu-trained Mark Zuckerberg to a ‘cage match’ after making a backhanded comment about Meta’s reported new development Threads
The interaction began after Musk commented about the Meta’s reported in-development app, saying: ‘I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options’
Musk added fuel to the fire by tweeting out that the bout could take place at the landmark
Verified users – who have paid for a subscription to Twitter Blue or are considered ‘notable’ – can read up to 10,000 posts daily after initially being limited to 6,000.
Mr Musk’s latest announcements to address data scraping have sparked a fierce backlash from Twitter users and ad experts said it would undermine new chief executive Linda Yaccarino, who started in the role last month.
The Italian government has reportedly offered up Rome’s Colosseum as the stage for a showdown between the billionaires.
The world’s richest tech titans vowed to throw it down in a cage fight last week in what would be a clash for the ages.
The Italian Minister of Culture has contacted the Meta chief to offer to host the UFC fight between the two billionaire’s at one of history’s most legendary battlegrounds, according to TMZ.
Both Mr Zuckerberg and Mr Musk are said to be keen to take their battle to the iconic venue with the latter even tweeting: ‘Some chance fight happens in Colosseum.’
The Italian Minister of Culture contacted Zuckerberg to offer to host the fight at the Colosseum
The proposal appears to have even gained traction as Mr Zuckerberg’s team reportedly passed the offer on to Dana White, whose representatives have reached out to the Minister, the report added.
The Colosseum, one of the world’s seven wonders, is Rome’s most iconic landmark but has not hosted massive audiences inside for hundreds of years.
The nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheater can only seat a few hundred spectators inside on temporary seating.
In 2003, Sir Paul McCartney performed for 400 people who paid up to $1,500 for an exclusive charity show.
But now Mr Zuckerberg and Mr Musk could be set to put on a show worthy of rivalling the Roman’s gladiators.
There have been other concerts held outside the theatre but it’s unclear if the billionaires would throw it down inside or outside the landmark.
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