The new social network from Instagram: Threads — in Spanish: "Hilos," referring to the continuity of conversation between posts.
Yesterday a new microblogging-style social network was launched by Instagram (as an extension of it), complementing the platform by prioritizing short text messages and conversation threads — entering into competition with Twitter.
It is worth recalling that Meta holds a conglomerate of businesses profiled as media in the form of social networks (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram — and now Threads).
What is Threads?
Meta's microblogging social network (from Mark Zuckerberg) is an app independent from Instagram but connected and complementary — developed by the Instagram team to publish short messages.
It launched on July 6, 2023, and (according to tech portal Xataka) it reached 10 million users in just 7 hours — enjoying a tremendous advantage over other social networks because users can "copy/duplicate" their Instagram user base to Threads.
In essence, Threads is like a blend between Twitter and Mastodon (another more open social network), combining the benefits of both. Moreover, it is a social network linked to Instagram, so accounts on both platforms form an integration.
Should my business or Chamber of Commerce join?
To answer this question, an "iceberg" topic first rises to the surface — one that every company could implement in its monthly planning: allocating resources (team, mentoring, time and money) to experimentation with innovation and new communication technologies. Some companies categorize this under R&D (Research and Development). Even entrepreneurs and large business owners could implement this the same way they budget for advertising and communications.
That said, the best way to integrate a new technology (including AI-powered software and Machine Learning) is to explore it and consult your marketing team as an additional opinion. Our recommendation: try signing up with a test account not directly linked to your brand — a strategy commonly used by marketing agencies to test content (especially for Instagram and Facebook) — allowing you to read the environment and see whether it fits your target audience; thus avoiding having to adapt your brand to risky trends that could affect its essence.
Our perspective at Visibles.World Communications Agency:
If you enable Threads and later want to uninstall it, you risk affecting your Instagram account:
According to information from tech portals TechCrunch and others such as El Cronista:
First: to create a Threads account, you need an Instagram account; and second: to delete the Threads profile, it can be deleted — but only by deleting the Instagram account linked to that profile.
Here is the supplementary privacy policy, where Meta (Threads) explains: "You can deactivate your Threads profile at any time, but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account".
Algorithm and initial reach:
It is known that Instagram helps boost its new features by expanding their algorithmic reach — as happened with Reels in their time and now with image posts with audio. Applying that same logic, as a new product the initial reach will be greater; in fact, during the installation process it allows all your current Instagram followers to also follow you on the new network.
Privacy:
Although it launched yesterday worldwide, Threads is not yet available in the European Union because it does not comply with the privacy standards that govern those countries.
Therefore, if your company or institution represents one established within the Schengen agreement, it is probably best to think twice and consult your marketing and legal teams.
Interesting fact: at a semiotic and symbolic level, it caught my attention that the most popular microblogging networks all begin with the letter T and are quite similar: Twitter (Elon Musk), Truth Social (Trump) and now Threads (Zuckerberg) — but that is a topic for another article.
Visibles World is already on Threads: Follow us here.
Gabriel Agustin Garay Opaso
Facilitator of Integral and Creative Solutions for business, diplomatic and non-profit organizations. University-trained Graphic Designer; General Manager Visibles.World and Visibles Media Magazine.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-agustin-go/
More: https://www.visibles.world/gabriel
