What are Threads? Everything about Meta .'s new social network

Instagram's parent company, Meta, launched Threads on Wednesday - a social networking app that is considered a rival to Twitter. According to an article on Threads by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on July 7, Threads has reached 70 million subscribers and this number is sure to continue to increase in the coming days.

Joining Threads is quite simple, just log in with your existing Instagram account and keep the same username, then Threads will suggest you.

While it's been rumored the platform has been in development since January, the Threads launch comes shortly after Twitter owner Elon Musk announced a cap on the number of tweets you can read on Twitter per day. These restrictions are temporary, but the consequences can be more permanent.

What are Threads? Everything about Meta .'s new social network Picture 1

Amid the changes at Twitter, social media users have been looking for an alternative, such as Mastodon and Bluesky. Threads offers the option to post text, videos and images, and the ability to engage in real-time conversations.

Keep reading to learn more about how to join Threads and the features available. For more information, see here why you might want to wait before joining Threads and how Meta uses artificial intelligence to organize your information flow.

What are Threads?

Created by Meta's Instagram team, Threads is a platform that allows you to post short articles or updates up to 500 characters in length. You can attach links, images or videos up to 5 minutes in length. The app links to your Instagram account, and according to Meta, you can "easily share a Threads post to your Instagram story, or share your post as a link on any other platform you want."

What are Threads? Everything about Meta .'s new social network Picture 2

Your feed will include posts from people and accounts you follow on Instagram or Threads, along with suggestions for undiscovered content. You also have the ability to filter specific words from your information stream and restrict who can mention you.

Threads is free to use and can be downloaded from the App Store (iOS) and Play Store (Android).

How to register Threads

See details: How to create a Threads account

To join Threads, you need an Instagram account, as the app requires you to use your Instagram credentials to log in.

First, you download and launch Threads, then select the Instagram account you want to link the Threads account. If you have multiple Instagram accounts, you can convert the Instagram account you want to link to a Threads account.

Next, add the name, profile, and links that you want to display on your Threads profile. Or you can also hit the Import from Instagram button to transfer that information from your IG profile.

What are Threads? Everything about Meta .'s new social network Picture 3

Finally, choose to follow the same accounts that you already follow on Instagram on Threads. You can do this by selecting them one by one, or by scrolling through the accounts you've followed on Instagram, or searching for one. You can also simply follow all the accounts you already follow on Instagram by tapping Follow All.

The final page will give you some information about Threads and its development roadmap, like how Threads and Instagram are closely linked and how you will soon be able to interact with other social media platforms, such as Mastodon. You can tap Join Threads to start browsing your timeline.

What are Threads? Everything about Meta .'s new social network Picture 4

You really can't delete your Threads account?

If you've read the news, many users are protesting Meta's policy regarding Threads account deletion. It is true that you can delete your Threads account, but you also have to delete your Instagram account because the two are linked. If you don't want to delete your Instagram account, you can suspend your Threads account separately.

What are Threads? Everything about Meta .'s new social network Picture 5

This won't delete your account and data completely, but it will hide your profile, posts and comments from everyone until you decide to log back in. See how to delete an account in the article How to delete a Threads account . You can return at any time if you want.

Threads timeline showing instability?

In addition to not being able to delete Threads without deleting Instagram, people also objected to having their timelines messed up. First, if you join Threads and follow a group of people, you may still see posts from people you don't follow on your timeline. Once again, Mosseri has announced that the chronological and per-follower timeline options will be available on Threads soon.

Advertise on Threads?

According to Mosseri, advertising is currently something that Meta doesn't prioritize for Threads. "I'm grateful for people signing up, but we have to make sure it's an app people want to keep using before we worry about monetization." The company is exposing advertisers, he said.

What are the upcoming features to be added to Threads?

Mosseri and others have posted announcements about possible features on Threads, because according to Mosseri, the current version of Threads is just the first version. Here are some of the features and settings mentioned in development for Threads:

1. Timeline in chronological order
2. Timeline by follower
3. Delete Threads account without deleting Instagram account
4. Improve Search Hashtags
5. Sync display of Messages (maybe)
6. Support for ActivityPub (allows Threads to be part of a federated social network, "a social network with different servers operated by third parties that are connected and able to communicate with each other")
7. Multiple account option
8. Web display

What are Threads? Everything about Meta .'s new social network Picture 6

In the near future, Threads may also update with more features and some other modifications, please follow more information about Threads on TipsMake.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 24 July 2023