Instagram’s Threads app which launched on Wednesday evening, has garnered 5 million sign-ups within the first four hours of its launch. This news comes directly from Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who shared his vision for the platform on Threads itself (click here to follow us on Threads).
Zuckerberg, or ‘Zuck’ on Threads, revealed his plans to use his Instagram broadcast channel for daily product updates and Threads for fostering discussions and sharing thoughts. However, he also hinted at the fluid nature of these platforms, stating, “we’ll see where these platforms go.”
The Meta CEO expressed a personal goal to transform Threads into the premier platform for discussions around jiu-jitsu and MMA content. Despite this, he acknowledged that for visual content, platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube would still hold the upper hand.
The launch of Threads has sparked a wave of enthusiasm among users, with some proclaiming, “Threads is brilliant. Twitter is done. Elon to be KO by Zuck too 😃”. In response to this, Zuckerberg said, “We’re only in the opening moments of the first round here,” subtly referring to the so-called planned cage match between him and Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
The Facebook founder has been practicing jiu-jitsu and appears to be in the best shape of his life to date, while Musk recently has been training with Canadian MMA and UFC champion Georges St. Pierre, alongside Lex Fridman:
Really fun! The obvious conclusion is that I need a *lot* more training.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2023
Zuckerberg emphasized the company’s commitment to fostering a friendly environment on Threads, stating, “We are definitely focusing on kindness and making this a friendly place.”
When asked by user mikedavismma if Threads could potentially outgrow Twitter, Zuckerberg responded optimistically. “It’ll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully, we will.”
The launch of Threads also saw Zuckerberg send out his first tweet in 4,186 days, or 11 years, 5 months, and 17 days. Of course it was a meme, of Spiderman pointing at Spiderman, seemingly suggesting at Threads taking on Twitter.
— Mark Zuckerberg (@finkd) July 6, 2023
Threads is interesting to use because it feels familiar to anyone that has been on Instagram. It’s essentially the comments version of Instagram. But what’s weird is how the home tab shows text from all Threads users, not just the ones you follow. That will likely change as it’s really annoying to see stuff you didn’t exactly sign up for.
It remains to be seen how Threads will evolve and whether it can indeed become an actual competitor to Twitter (it’s still missing a web interface and there’s no iPad or Mac app yet). What’s given Threads an instant head start is the seamless transition for existing Instagram users to join the app, since the same login is used. The app is off to a decent start for ease of use but it’s yet another social media app that can take up your time.
