On Thursday, July 6, 2023, Meta introduced a new application called Threads, which is linked with Instagram.
The app was launched in 100 countries, including Nigeria, and gained approximately 10 million sign-ups within its first few hours
Threads aim to provide a platform for sharing short-form content and have drawn comparisons to Twitter, although there are some notable differences in the features.
Differences between Threads and Twitter
- Direct Message: One key difference is the absence of a direct messaging option in Threads, whereas Twitter offers the ability to privately chat with followers.
- Multimedia posts: Threads allows users to post a larger number of images and videos in a single post compared to Twitter’s limit of four items per tweet. With Threads, users can share up to 10 items at once, similar to carousel posts on Instagram.
- Account synchronization: While Twitter allows users to log in using email, phone number, or just a username, Threads is synced with Instagram. This means that Threads relies on Instagram login information and is integrated with the Instagram platform.
- Text limits: The key difference is that the Threads character limit is 500, while the Twitter character limit is just 280.
- Messaging: Messaging features also vary between Threads and Twitter. Twitter offers in-app messaging, allowing users to have private conversations, while Threads does not provide this functionality.
Similarities between Threads and Twitter.
Despite these differences, there are several similarities between Threads and Twitter. Here are some of the features that are common to both of them.
- Multimedia posts: Both platforms support multimedia posts, including website links, videos, and images. Users can also post GIFs on both services, although on Threads, they need to save the GIF to the camera roll first before posting it.
- Privacy control: Both platforms prioritize privacy controls, allowing users to customize their settings and choose between public or private accounts.
- Engagement features: One thing that caught people’s eye and attracted criticism was the similarities in their engagement features like the likes, comments and retweets. They provide engagement features like liking, commenting, and retweeting posts to encourage interactions and conversations around shared content.
- The primary purpose of both Twitter and Threads is to share short messages that can be viewed and engaged with by other users.
- Accessibility: Both Threads and Twitter are made to work on different devices like phones and computers. This means users can use the platforms on the devices they like best, making it easier and more convenient for them.
Final thought
Threads and Twitter are popular apps for sharing short messages and interacting with others, but they have distinct features.
Threads is connected to Instagram and is designed for sharing personal updates. It provides a more private and intimate social media experience for users who prefer that.
On the other hand, Twitter is widely accessible and offers trending topics and direct messaging. It is known for being a hub of news, discussions, and engaging with a larger community.
In short, both apps are great, but they have different strengths and cater to different preferences.
