CAVEAT:
In writing this article, we have relied upon what we believe to be trusted individuals and organizations who have been using the Threads app over the past 48hrs. We decided not to download the app at this time, and we explain our reasons why in this article.
We have been receiving lots of questions from our followers about Instagram “Threads”, a new app designed to be a competitor to Twitter.
For those of us on Twitter, unfortunately it has lost a lot of its credibility since being purchased by Elon Musk last October – shedding headquarters, advertisers, core employees and changing tried-and-tested policies as it attempts to become profitable. Many faithful Twitter users, including ourselves, have been looking for an alternative where we can connect, follow, and interact with like-minded people or others who are of interest to us – Enter a possible contender, Instagram “Threads”.
Since Threads was released on July 5th 2023, tens of millions of subscribers have joined this platform. Given that Threads is owned by Meta, the app allows a user to tap into Instagram’s 2 billion existing subscribers (yes – you need an Instagram username to join Threads), making it easy for Instagram users to start posting on this new app, we would expect that Threads will grow its user base exponentially larger over the next little while. However, we are not one of those people – yet! Instead, we have opted to take a wait and see approach to this new platform to see if any challenges are identified.
Here are some important Threads functions to note:
- Threads is a free app, but it requires users to have an Instagram account.
- When using Threads, the user’s Instagram username will be automatically imported, although some profile customization options are available.
- With Threads, users can choose to automatically follow all accounts from their Instagram followers or manually select a smaller group.
- Posts on Threads have a character limit of 500, while photos are limited to 10 per post. Videos, on the other hand, can be up to 5 minutes long.
- In Threads, users can tag other individuals in a thread by using the @ symbol followed by their username. They can also restrict replies to their followers only or users they have tagged in the post.
As of the writing of this article (July 7th), there are three primary concerns identified thus far with the Threads app by those in the digital literacy and internet safety sphere:
#1 Privacy:
Threads, which is owned by Meta (Facebook), makes it clear in their privacy disclosure that the app will collect personal information on 14 specific categories.
This shouldn’t surprise us given that (a) it is owned by Meta and (b) given that it is a free app, they have to make their money somehow. How? by what Meta does best – collecting our private information and monetizing it to their financial benefit. Now to be fair, if you have a Facebook or Instagram account, they too are collecting and monetizing the same private information. These privacy concerns are one reason why Meta hasn’t launched Threads in the European Union (EU) given the EU’s strong privacy laws.
#2 Timeline Control Concerns:
Presently, Threads uses an algorithmic timeline (similar to TikTok) – Threads controls what you see, rather than a chronological timeline that allows you to control what you see. At least Twitter provides a user with options to control what they can see in their feed. Again, from a marketing standpoint this makes sense when it comes to Meta monetizing the Threads platform.
#3 Account Deletion Concerns:
Presently, if you create a Threads account via your Instagram account, you can’t just delete your Threads account without having to also delete your Instagram account. Meta has stated publicly that they will change this in the future, but given that past performance dictates future behaviour, seeing is believing when it comes to Meta.
What are some other features that are currently missing from Threads compared to Twitter according to users?
- A “Following” feed
- Can’t search specific words or phrases
- Support for GIFs
- Full web version support
- Editing posts
- Inline translation
- Support for user-generated Alt image text
- Hashtags
- A way to see your own liked post
- Private messaging
Our Thoughts Thus Far:
- Given that Threads is still in its infancy, we are still going to take a wait and see approach, and we would personally not recommend downloading this app onto a “personal” device until some of the privacy challenges are addressed. This is especially true if you do not presently have an Instagram account and don’t want to be a part of the Meta-sphere of data collection.
- If we do decide to download threads from a “business” use standpoint, we will only download it onto a device that is strictly sandboxed for business use and not personal use.
- For businesses that are looking to connect, follow, and interact with like-minded people, maybe LinkedIn, Mastodon, or BlueSky might be the better option from a privacy standpoint.
- If you do decide to download Threads onto your personal device, or using any other free app, you can help to safeguard some, not all, of your privacy especially when using it through the phone app. Here’s how you can do it:
Get a VPN: By using a premium Virtual Private Network (VPN), like “Private Internet Access”, you can create a secure connection and keep your online activities private.
Use a private browser: Opt for a privacy-focused browser like DuckDuckGo. It respects your privacy by not tracking your searches or collecting personal information.
Limit app permissions: Take control of the data Threads can access. Disable its access to location and any other sensitive information you don’t want to share.
iPhone users, take advantage of App Tracking Transparency: If you have an iPhone, make the most of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature. It allows you to block Threads from accessing data from other apps, giving you more control over your privacy.
As the Threads app matures, will we change our minds specific to the recommendations we have made in this article? – it all depends on what the empirical and evidence-based research uncovers about the who, what, where, when, how, and why of this app. To be fair, Meta has stated that they are working on dealing with some of the challenges mentioned in this article. However, and as we mentioned earlier, seeing is believing when it comes to Meta.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter