THREADS has been in the headlines in recent days after the text-based social media app was released.
But how many people are using it? Here’s everything to know about the Meta-owned app.
Followers have flocked to new social media app “Threads”
What is threads?
Meta‘s Threads app is described to be a “text-based conversation app” according to Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Mark Zuckerberg‘s so-called “Twitter-killer” app launched this week.
Last month, Meta chief product officer Chris Cox told employees at an all-hands meeting that Threads would operate as a “sanely run” alternative to Twitter.
Meta reportedly came up with the idea for Threads in November 2022, according to the New York Times.
And work began on the project in January this year.
Threads was officially launched on Wednesday July 5 for over 100 countries.
Do you need Instagram for threads?
Threads is an offshoot of Instagram and only Insta users can create an account.
Users are allowed to post up to 500 characters of text and up to five minutes of video and links, as well as pictures.
The app is linked directly to Instagram and lets you import your profile and friends list.
However deleting your Threads profile also means getting rid of your Instagram account, which has caused frustration among early users.
And although the app is linked to Instagram, it offers Twitter-like microblogging.
Users can follow other accounts, like, repost and send posts by direct message.
They can also choose to “block” certain words from appearing in their feeds.
“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” the app’s description reads.
How many people have downloaded Threads?
Threads already has more than 30 million subscribers as of yesterday.
Yesterday, Threads was the top free app on Apple’s App Store in the UK and US, according to Reuters.
The app is expected to have millions more join in the coming days.
It easily outstripped ChatGPT, the chatbot, which was downloaded one million times within its first five days, according to OpenAI, ChatGPT’s maker.
And Threads is on a pace to exceed 100 million users within two months, a feat achieved only by ChatGPT, according to the analytics firm Similarweb.
Explaining the thought process behind the Threads app, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted in a post, “There should be a public conversations app with 1 billion people on it.
“Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully we will.”