Dont lose your head over Instagram threads - All you need to know about Instagrams new app
Jul 09, 2023
On 5th July 2023 Instagram shared the following on their blog
We’re rolling out Threads today in more than 100 countries for iOS and Android, and people in those countries can download the app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Threads is a new app, built by the Instagram team, for sharing text updates and joining public conversations. You log in using your Instagram account and posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length.
Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas. Just like on Instagram, with Threads you can follow and connect with friends and creators who share your interests – including the people you follow on Instagram and beyond.
Within the first few hours IG threads had become 1 in app store and had more than 70 million users in less than 48 hours. With Threads being dubbed ‘ The Twitter Killer’ what is the app really all about and is this the end of Twitter?
So what do you need to know about Instagram Threads?
How to create an account?
It’s easy to get started with Threads: simply use your Instagram account to log in. Your Instagram username and verification will carry over, with the option to customize your profile specifically for Threads.
Everyone who is under 16 (or under 18 in certain countries) will be defaulted into a private profile when they join Threads. ( the difference is that content on private profiles cannot be seen unless you are approved to follow that account ) You can choose to follow the same accounts you do on Instagram, and find more people who care about the same things you do – however personally i would advise that you manually add in the accounts you want to follow to ensure you are seeing 100% of the content you want to see, think of this as a spring clean for your insta account. The core accessibility features available on Instagram today, such as screen reader support and AI-generated image descriptions, are also enabled on Threads.
Navigating the feed
Your feed on Threads includes threads posted by people you follow, and recommended content from new creators you haven’t discovered yet.
While most features mimic those of Twitter, its user interface design resembles Instagram’s, with the same heart, comment and share buttons and similarly placed tabs.
What sort of content can you share?
Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. You can easily share a Threads post to your Instagram story, or share your post as a link on any other platform you choose.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Fast growing app with lots of room for new features
Great for early adopters wanting to get ahead of the game
Similar to FB / IG / Twitter so if you have used any of those apps, Threads will feel familiar.
Searchability options for your user name
Option to turn on notifications
Links to your IG account
Option to have link back to threads on your IG profile
Reshare option in app and to other platforms.
Cons
No option to Direct Message
No way to switch between accounts.
No in app GIFs ( however there is a hack for this which is revealed in our workshop )
No searchability for content
No option to save images from the feed
If you deleted your account your IG is also deleted
LOTS of data being shared
No web interface or desktop option
No editing of posts
As you can see Threads has a lot of catching up to do however its important we remember this app is less that a week old. The main concerns from users are the lack of search capability, the algorithmic feed, and the lack of direct message options. In response Mosseri has shared that all of these features are being worked on by the team however Threads has ruled out some expected changes, too. That includes direct messages, with Mr Mosseri suggesting that he did not want to give users another inbox to check, with Meta already offering a number of other messaging platforms.
Differences between the social platforms – Image thanks to Medium
One of the biggest concerns Im hearing from users is that if you decide you no longer want to have a Threads account and you have used your IG account to sign in you HAVE to delete them both. Now there are ways around this, rather than deleting your account you can simply deactivate it, this will ensure your IG account stays public however Mosseri has acknowledge that this is a feature that needs to be changed and that the Team are working on this update.
Threads also has a catch that users may not be aware of until they've already created an account. If someone decides they don't like Threads, they can't delete their Threads account unless they also delete their Instagram account.
If a user violates Threads' community guidelines and gets their Threads account banned, their Instagram account will also be banned. To change their Threads username, users must also change their Instagram username.
The strong tie between a user's Instagram and Threads accounts makes it difficult for people with accounts across platforms that represent different parts of their personality. For some, their Instagram account is family and coworker-friendly, while their Twitter account is dedicated to inappropriate humor or their favorite celebrity. As a result, users will have to bring their contrived Instagram personality to Threads or create a separate Instagram account to attach to a Threads account.
So there you have it, a breakdown of Threads and like I mentioned, we are less than a week into the app being launched. Expect massive changes and of course, stay up to date with everything that’s going on here on the blog!
Download our FREE PDF 5 top tips for Threads here
Want to learn more about Threads join us for our 1 hour online workshop
