By Charles Mgbolu
Meta is still reeling from the impressive start of its new application, Threads, after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the new Twitter rival app had logged in 30 million users in its first 24 hours of operation.
The app has promised users longer posts of up to 500 characters, including links, photos, and videos up to five minutes in duration. In Africa, the app has been welcomed with relish.
‘’It’s really so great to have another social media platform join the fray because it’s another way to reach new audiences with personalised or unique offerings from a business point of view," Olushola Odeyinde, a social media manager for a Nigerian-based media house, told TRT Afrika.
Media analyst Mayowa Adegoke, who has hosted several pan-African live Twitter sessions on social media engagements from her base in Dubai, says the launch was cosmic on social media platforms within the continent.
‘’In those seven hours, Threads, threading, and Mark were trending on Twitter in Nigeria, which is Africa’s largest economy with the world’s largest population of young black people. I can assure you there is a lot of curiosity,’’ Adegoke told TRT Afrika.
An up-close look at Threads quickly shows noticeable similarities with some Twitter inbuilt features, albeit with different names. Twitter’s ‘retweet’ is ‘repost’ on Threads, and Twitter’s ‘tweet’ is called ‘thread’ on Threads.
Comparing similarities is not new to Meta, as it also went under the microscope with the 2020 launch of Instagram’s ‘Reels’ feature, which had a similarity to TikTok’s short-form videos.
Meta has said it hopes to create ‘’a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations,’’ adding that it believes it ’’can shape the future of the internet.’’
Twitter has a user base of more than 250 million, while Instagram reportedly has two billion users.
‘’ Meta’s innovative loop that allows users to easily cross-share content and switch from Instagram to Threads and back is ingenious,’’ Adegoke commended.
‘’The multi-media sharing feature lets us share photos of any format without forcing you to crop out any bits. This is a step up from Instagram. The user interface is very simple and minimalist and would definitely encourage users to spend longer hours on it,’’ she emphasized.
Meta stepped up their innovations with the familiar entourage of ‘unfollow’, ‘block’, ‘restrict', or ‘report others’ options, with users also having the ability to filter out replies with certain words in them.
But despite its gigantic splash in the social media pool, Threads must still navigate a lot of hurdles if it is to keep the initial embers of excitement burning.
‘’I am unable to see active trends on Threads, and so I do not know the viral conversations people are engaged in to make appropriate, tailor-made content that works with my target audience,’’ Odeyinde said.
It is a fair point from Odeyinde, with other commentators on the platform observed by TRT Afrika expressing concerns that there are no direct messaging (DM) options.
‘’It means everything you share with others is out there on the timeline. Nothing is private,’’ Odeyinde said.
‘’Right now, there is a clamour for analytics,’’ says Adegoke. ‘’Content producers and entrepreneurs need to understand better how the app is working to meet their individual and unique goals. Ultimately, we need to be able to measure the value we are getting from using the app.’’
Zukerberg wrote on Threads that it feels like the beginning of something special, ''but we've got a lot of work ahead to build out the app.''
Adegoke agrees. ‘’In-app messaging is a common feature users want, though I’m personally fine without it. I prefer Threads as a text-led app, encouraging conversations and allowing thought leaders like myself to say more,’’ she concluded.
