[Threads app on phone]
Olivia Hamon (interview): “It’s similar to Twitter, but I like the fact that it’s not Twitter, like how it’s run from the Instagram account. It’s just like a smart move on their part.”
[Washington Square Park]
Gauri Nema (interview): “I think it’s pretty common that this happens. But I’m interested to see if people actually engage with it. But it seems like people already are, because there’s like a desire to like kind of stuff away from Twitter. And Instagram’s already very like, accredited app and everyone’s on it. So I might as well just like also use it the same way you would use Twitter.”
Anusha Allamsetty (interview): “I don’t think I would download Threads because I’m just not. I just like Twitter better. And I also feel like people have this thing with like you’re a different personality on Twitter than you are on Instagram and sharing that kind of Twitter personality on Instagram sometimes not like, I don’t know, people don’t want to do it and I don’t want to do that.”
Mike Proulx (interview): “This is the MVP product right now for Meta’s Threads, it is literally version one and it’s going to be continued to be developed over time if it’s able to maintain the velocity that it currently has.”
“This launch has to be called a success. Nothing less than that. And so the signal for me on whether or not Threads is here for the foreseeable future and will endure is the point in time in which Meta decides to monetize it.”
“What’s more important for the longevity of Threads is not only maintaining this momentum that Threads has at the moment, there’s sort of a velocity behind it. Cannot continue to capture users attention, but even more so, will it be able to get repeat usage out of it once this peak curiosity factor runs out, is it going to be a one and done app for a number of users that have just signed up?”
“The smart move that Meta is making with Threads is in a couple of months, I believe they reported they’re going to integrate with the W3C’s open social media protocol. So that’s a big deal. And what that means is that as Threads becomes more and more open, we’re seeing Twitter become more and more closed.”
“Increasingly users are demanding is open social networks. And what that is what that means is that I, as a user, can take my following with me from platform to platform that are using the same protocol. I’ll be able to make connections with users on Mastodon because they’re also using the same social media protocol.”
“Ownership of your followers to the users. That is a big, massive change for a company like Meta, and it’s certainly what we see as the future of social media.”
“What we observe is Twitter is going through sort of a shift in its community. It’s becoming much more conservative. There are louder and more increased voices that are being amplified on Twitter that are more conservative. That’s not necessarily good or bad, but that just means that there are going to be individuals who are existing Twitter users that don’t want to be part of that environment and are looking for an alternative. And Threads is a very viable alternative to that conversation.”
“So this is a missed opportunity and what Meta has said is that they need to ensure that their product is compliant with the updated and new privacy regulations that will come out in the EU next year. This is not something that they can rush around. They have to get it right. And so that means the launch is going to be delayed for the foreseeable future into the EU.”
[Exteriors of Meta headquarters]
[Exteriors of Twitter headquarters]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.