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Explainer: What is Meta's new platform Threads, and will its Instagram tie-in help it challenge Twitter?

SINGAPORE — Technology giant Meta’s new social media platform Threads climbed to the top of Singapore’s chart for free mobile apps, just 24 hours after it was launched on Thursday (July 6).

This photo illustration created in Washington, DC, on July 5, 2023, shows Threads, an Instagram app, on the App Store, in front of the logos of Instagram and Threads.

This photo illustration created in Washington, DC, on July 5, 2023, shows Threads, an Instagram app, on the App Store, in front of the logos of Instagram and Threads.

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  • Tech giant Meta’s new social media platform Threads has gained more than 30 million global users
  • Just 24 hours after its launch, it climbed to the top of Singapore’s chart for free mobile apps
  • Given the text-based platform’s similarity to Twitter, internet users wonder if Threads’ launch is set to be a "Twitter-killer"
  • Experts told TODAY that the requirement for Threads users to have an Instagram account could pave the way for its success, adding that it also needs to add value
  • They also raised concerns about Meta’s growing reach and the implications this might have for user data and privacy

SINGAPORE — Technology giant Meta’s new social media platform Threads climbed to the top of Singapore’s chart for free mobile apps, just 24 hours after it was launched on Thursday (July 6).

Given the text-based platform’s similarity to Twitter, internet users are already wondering if Threads’ launch is set to be a "Twitter-killer", and could even spell the end for the platform purchased last year by Elon Musk.

Threads’ launch comes on the heels of users’ mounting unhappiness towards Twitter and Mr Musk, its chief executive officer, especially with changes introduced to the social network.

These charges have included converting its verification badge to a paid service. Twitter had earlier also announced the need for users to be verified in order to use TweetDeck, a more convenient version of Twitter.

TODAY spoke with experts on the likely impact of Threads, its potential to take off globally and in Singapore, and whether users should be concerned about Meta’s growing power as it adds another social media platform to its stable.

WHAT IS THREADS?

Threads is the latest platform in social media giant Meta's repertoire, which already includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

On Threads, users are allowed a maximum of 500 characters per post, compared with 280 for Twitter, and can add pictures or videos of up to five minutes in length. Users may also reply to others’ posts and conversations.

Unlike Twitter, however, Threads does not include certain features such as hashtags, a following-only feed, and a content search function. To access Threads, users must already have an Instagram account.

In a blog post published on Wednesday, Meta said that Threads was still in its “initial version” and that the company's vision was to “take what Instagram does best and expand that to text”.

Meta has launched Threads in more than 100 countries, all of them outside of the European Union. Its release in Europe has been postponed due to regulatory uncertainty about how the app would use personal data.

WILL THREADS TAKE OFF?

Thirty million users had already signed up to use the platform as of Thursday, said Meta’s founder Mark Zuckerberg in a post published on his own Threads account.

Experts told TODAY that Threads’ mandatory integration with Meta’s Instagram could pave the way for the platform’s success, though how well it performs will ultimately depend on how much value it adds.

Dr Andrew Yee, an assistant professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), said that for a social media platform to be successful, it must generate a “critical mass of active users” before it is of use to netizens.

He added that consumers generally choose to use platforms which allow them to fulfil a need.

“Platforms that have more users are able to more likely meet the needs (of users), because there is generally more content and other people to communicate with and meet those needs,” said Dr Yee.

On this front, Threads could benefit from its integration with Instagram, said experts.

Dr Natalie Pang, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) communications and new media department, said that because Threads builds on existing Instagram profiles, the nexus could be a way for Threads to grow its community, by “scaling up creative content in Instagram into public conversations”.

“We have a sizable community of users who use Instagram, so the potential is definitely there,” said Dr Pang.

We (Singapore) have a sizable community of users who use Instagram, so the potential is definitely there.
Dr Natalie Pang, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s communications and new media department

Data published by strategy consulting firm Oosga showed that there were around 2.91 million Instagram users in Singapore, in January 2023.

Still, Dr Pang said that Threads’ chances of taking off would depend very much on whether users’ networks and accounts they follow — including public figures, influencers, and opinion leaders — also use Threads.

Agreeing, Dr Jeremy Sng, a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) school of social sciences, said that Meta was “quite smart” to tap and convert its existing Instagram user network.

“In that sense, it seems like they have been very successful in very quickly reaching the critical mass,” said Dr Sng.

Beyond the volume of user sign-ups, it ultimately also needs value-add to sustain users’ engagement.

Dr Yee of SUTD said that Threads would likely succeed only if it was able to attract a large enough number of users, and enable communication and content that was previously not possible on other platforms.

Agreeing, Dr Sng of NTU said: “In today’s social media market, in order to fight with other platforms, you really need to value-add in some ways in order to stand out.”

He also added that since Twitter was seemingly less popular in Singapore compared to countries such as the United States, his “hunch” is that Threads might also be less likely to take off as it serves a similar function. 

Nevertheless, Dr Sng said that it is shaping up as a good competitor to Twitter globally, especially given its “strong start”.

DOES META’S GROWING POWER POSE A SECURITY THREAT?

Experts also raised concerns about Meta further growing its reach through a new platform — highlighting the implications this might have on user data collection and the sheer amount of data that could be lost in the event of a security breach.

“This interconnectivity is worrying because it belongs to the same company. It’s not just that social media platforms are connected to each other, but because the platforms belong to the same company,” said Dr Sng of NTU.

If all data were to be collected in one or two big companies, it could pose a security risk as it would be more attractive to hackers, who needed only to hack a single system to gain access to a concentrated pool of data.

Dr Sng added that while different companies typically possessed data on different aspects of users’ lives, Meta would have collected data about the same person, from different sources.

“What is worrying is that they can actually piece together these data from different aspects of your life to build a simulation of you, or to build a more complete picture of you as a person — your behaviour, and your user profile.”

“In this way, it can better predict your interests and your intentions before we even know about them,” said Dr Sng.

This also means that technological companies now not only know us based on data collected, but also have “substantial power in deciding the kinds of content that we are exposed to”, said Dr Yee of SUTD.

Dr Yee said: “Research has shown that our media experiences can shape the way we see others and ourselves. This means that if one company manages to obtain a monopoly over these critical human activities, then they hold substantial power in shaping society.”

Dr Pang of NUS added that a complete reliance on a single organisation for online social networks could mean that users may have limited choices or say over what the organisation decides to do with their platforms. The organisation would also have dominance over the data it collects and control about its users.

She added that users should be concerned about the privacy of their data, especially if they were porting everything from Instagram to Threads, and cautioned that users should always read the terms that come with the use of platforms.

Still, experts acknowledge that only time will tell whether Threads will be a winner for Meta, given the platform is in its infancy and would continue to evolve.

In a post published on his official Threads account on Thursday, Meta’s Mr Zuckerberg said: “Feels like the beginning of something special, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead to build out the app.”

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