Threads, Meta’s new Twitter rival, has gained over 5 million users in its first hours of being available, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as the platform seeks to clone Twitter, which has become increasingly disliked by its users following Elon Musk’s turbulent takeover of the platform last year.
Threads, which is available now from the App Store, focuses on text-based conversations, with users able to like, share and comment on other users posts, directly port over Instagram followers and following lists, and use their existing Instagram username on the app.
Threads has been widely described as a potential “Twitter killer,” launching at a time when users are revolting against the changes made to the platform since its acquisition, including loosened content moderation, controversial changes to its verification system, a focus on paywalling features such as TweetDeck, and the recent introduction of rate limits, which cap how many tweets users can read.
How to join Threads
To join Threads, users must download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Upon opening the app, which is available for free, users will be guided through an onboarding process, which includes the option to sign in with their existing Instagram account, as well as to follow accounts on Threads that they already follow on Instagram.
