Will Threads take over Twitter?

Instagram launched its Threads app on July 6th, 2023 at 10AM ET. It has only been over 24 hours and over 30 million users have signed up already, including me. While I was scrolling through Threads, not surprisingly, it reminded me of Twitter. And so it got me thinking, will Threads take over Twitter?

Threads can actually be a substitute for Twitter. In many ways, Threads can even be a better alternative of Twitter. Lets see how:

1. Word Count

The word limit of each tweet is 280 words while that of each thread is 500 words.

2. Verification

Twitter charges $8 per month for twitter blue but a verified account on Threads is free if you are already verified on Instagram. But Instagram recently started charging Rs.700 per month which is almost the same as the charge for twitter.

3. Easy to gain followers

As Threads is connected to your Instagram account, you can easily connect to your Instagram followers on Threads as well.

4. Video Time Limit

Twitter has a video time limit of 2 minutes and 20 seconds while Threads gives us 5 minutes.

5. Ads

Currently, there are no ads on Threads while we cannot say the same for Twitter.

We have seen that Threads does have some advantages over Twitter and has been able to gain such a large user base in just a couple of hours since its launch. But can we actually conclude from the above that Twitter will be taken over by Threads in the coming future?

Twitter has been serving to us not only as a medium of communication but also as a platform to voice our opinions. Over the years, Twitter basically became a political platform where conversations led to actual consequences in the offline world around us. Well yes, Twitter can be replicated in terms of the interface and user behaviour, I am not sure whether Threads can replicate the political nature of it. As Threads stems from Instagram, a platform more entertainment based than being a serious one for having challenging conversations, and from the fact that the user base of Threads is exactly the same as that of Instagram, at least for now, there is little chance of Threads reaching anything near the political arena.

That being said, we cannot forget that after Musk taking over, he has made a lot of changes to our old Twitter. This has not resulted in a very positive response from the users. Hence, it is highly likely that if nothing is done, the users might just shift to an alternative, the obvious one being Threads.

Even if so happens, noting the fact that the users of Instagram and Twitter are not exactly common, there will either be a large enough proportion of Threads users who are not the typical ’Twitter audience’. And so, that proportion will be indulged more in just memes and entertainment. Or, if the ’Twitter audience’ takes over Threads, the app would eventually experience a stagnancy in its use by the ‘non-Twitter audience’. If the latter happens, the app would then actually be ‘the new Twitter’.

However, considering Threads is just too new right now, it is safe to say that only time can tell what will actually happen.