041TECH columnist Jenine Wyngaard helps us understand the nitty-gritty behind what is happening with Social Media Platforms X/Twitter, and Threads.
The Internet is a vast and glorious space where it’s all too easy to “get lost in the trees”. Every day there is something new to see and indulge in. Social media platforms in particular have become so deeply intertwined in our lives that if it’s not captured on a platform … did it even happen?
Earlier in July the social media world welcomed a new contender to the ring in the form of Threads; owned and operated by Meta Platforms (CEO – Mark Zuckerberg); it is here to rival the long-standing favourite Twitter more recently known X (launched July of 2006 and renamed July of 2023). Currently, Threads is seen as an Instagram extension, and you will need an Instagram account to join the platform. Millions of people signed up for Threads within hours of its launch and the numbers just keep growing. Being partnered up with a heavy hitter in the social media world definitely has its advantages. Obviously, it’s still early days, with Threads being in its infancy stage, but there are clear signs that the Meta team are hoping to knock the ex-little bluebird off its 17-year reigning perch.
X has been having problems since October of 2022 when the platform was bought by X Corp (CEO – Elon Musk). Soon after the change of ownership, Twitter laid off half its employees; key executives were either fired or quit. Advertisers pulled back unwilling to associate themselves with a brand that was making headlines for the wrong reasons, and many of them have still not returned. There are also fears that the platform will become increasingly more toxic as there has been a rise in hate speech and pornography due to content moderation changes.
In a bold rebranding move on 24 July, Elon officially gave the little blue bird the boot and redirected Twitter.com to X.com. Though this change had to be reverted shortly after being announced with numerous users being directed to GoDaddy instead, not a great start there I’m afraid. He explained the rebrand as follows: “Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing. The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140-character messages going back and forth – like birds tweeting – but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video. In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world. The Twitter name does not make sense in that context, so we must bid adieu to the bird ”
Here’s a quick side-by-side of some of the features:
| Features | X | Threads |
| What can users do | Users post “Tweets” (some things haven’t changed), which may contain photos, videos, links, and text. These messages are posted to your profile, sent to your followers, and are searchable on X search | Users post “Threads”, which may contain text, images, and videos, as well as interact with other users’ posts through replies, reposts, and likes. These messages are posted to your profile and sent to your followers |
| Character Limit | 280 – for free users 25,000 – for subscribed users | 500 for all users |
| Private account | Yes | Yes |
| Timeline Feed | Trending, For you and Following | Instagram’s algorithm |
| Direct Messaging | Yes | No |
| Images | 4 images | 10 images |
| Video length | 2 minutes and 20 seconds – for free users 2 hours – for subscribed users | 5 minutes |
| Accessed via | Website and Mobile app | Mobile app |
| Verification | No – for free users – for subscribed users | Yes, via Instagram |
| Editing of posts | No – for free users Yes – for subscribed users | No |
The battle for public favour is fierce, with X even threatening to take legal action against the new Meta app sparking rumours that ex-X employees were part of the Threads development team. Only time will tell how this fight plays out as I’m sure both companies will be eager and quick to dangle a host of various carrots to get users onto their platforms. So grab your popcorn and enjoy the show.
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