What is Threads? Unravelling the new social media platform

Just like Twitter, Threads is an app for sharing text updates and joining public conversations. You can post your thoughts – as long as they’re no more than 500 characters long – and also include links, photos, and videos up to five minutes in length. 

This is almost double the character length allowed on Twitter, but aside from that, the platforms are incredibly similar. 

You choose who to follow, you can repost Threads that you like into your own timeline and comment on other people’s posts. 

The big difference, according to Meta, is that Threads is designed to be a positive and safe environment. Twitter has come under fire over the last few years for allowing abusive tweets and bullying, something Meta is hoping won’t happen on their new social media platform.  

In Threads, you have complete control over who can mention or reply to you in conversations. Just like on Instagram, you can use hidden keywords to filter out replies that contain specific words in your threads. If you ever need to take action, it’s simple to unfollow, block, restrict or report a profile.  

As Threads is a part of the Instagram experience, you can’t join it without an Instagram account. Therefore, if you want to get on board, you’ll need to be on the photo-sharing app first.   

Once you’ve done that – or if you’ve already got an Instagram account – it’s a super simple process. 

1. Download the Threads app from your phone’s app store. It’s available for download on iOS and on Android devices in more than 100 countries.  
2. Once downloaded, you log in using your Instagram account.  Your Instagram username and verification will carry over, but you can customise your profile within the app if you want a different bio or an alternative image. 
3. You’ll be given the option to follow everyone you currently follow on Instagram. Or you can choose to start afresh.  
4. When you first log in to your feed, you’ll not only see people you follow but also recommended content from those people you haven’t discovered yet. 

To send your first post, click on the little note icon in the middle of the five buttons at the bottom of your screen, write out your thoughts and click post. If you want to add an image, just click the little paperclip. Unlike Instagram or Facebook, where you can edit your posts after you’ve sent them, once a post has gone live on Thread there’s no way to change it. You can delete it, but cannot edit it.

The search (magnifying glass) icon at the bottom of the app allows you to look for users, while the heart button will show up your replies, mentions or those people who follow you.  

To see your profile, click on the little outline of a person. This is where you can also edit your profile, changing the image or bio. 

If there’s someone you’re following that starts posting stuff you don’t like, you can click on “Unfollow” or the three dots near their name to “Mute”, “Restrict”, “Block” or “Report” them. It’s also worth noting that any accounts you’ve blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads too. 

In the spirit of Saga Exceptional, I signed up as soon as Threads was launched. I used to be a social media manager, so I’ve always had a keen interest in platforms like this. I tend to stick to Instagram or Facebook these days, as they seem so much friendlier than Twitter, where I’m afraid to even like a certain tweet in case I get some nasty tweet back.  

On the launch of Threads, Musk predictably wasn’t supportive, tweeting: “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram.”

This comes from someone who has a hide of a rhino or who has never been attacked on Twitter due to their sex, hair colour or the fact they like a certain band – all of which has happened to me over the last couple of years.  

Threads therefore seemed an exciting proposition, as it promises to, in Meta’s words, “enable positive, productive conversations”. 

Logging on was super easy but I made the mistake of following everyone I follow on Instagram. This was a rookie error, as I’ve been on Instagram for 12 years now, since the early days when we added a kooky filter to every photo, and there are some people in there I don’t want to follow any more. 

Apart from that, it’s all been plain sailing. It’s nice and clean and simple to operate, which is always a good thing. At the moment, it also feels like a really friendly place. In fact, going on it felt akin to that first day back at school after the summer holidays. Everyone’s refreshed, eager to learn and excited to see each other.  

I’m hoping this positive outlook remains and it can indeed be used as a funnel for interesting and engaging conversations. A bit like LinkedIn, but without the need to be quite so formal or work-like. 

The only thing I don’t like about it is the lack of a search function. You can search for users but there’s no way to look for certain conversations. Twitter obviously used hashtags, but you could also use its search bar to look for more generic terms. I found this useful to find people talking about the subjects I wanted to follow, as well as using it to keep up to date with newsworthy topics. This may not be an issue now for Threads but could be once millions more are using it.  

I also have reservations regarding privacy matters. According to its data privacy disclosure on the App Store, Threads has the capability to gather an extensive array of personal data, encompassing health information, financial details, contact lists, browsing and search histories, location data, purchases, and even “sensitive information”. Consequently, Threads is currently unavailable throughout the European Union as it does not adhere to the region’s stringent privacy regulations. 

The app is currently full of fairly positive posts as people look forward to embracing a new social media platform, but knowing how human nature is, will it stay this way? And will Meta be able to address those privacy concerns that means most of Europe can’t get their mitts on it yet. Time will tell if Threads takes off the way Zuckerberg is hoping it will.