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Meta's Threads is here. What is it and how do you use it?
If you're on social media today, you've probably stumbled on the latest craze that's taking over, Threads. Launched by Meta, the app is touted as a text-based communications platform and has been billed as a potential competitor to Twitter. A quick glance through the app, one can certainly see that the app sounds—and certainly looks—incredibly familiar, almost shamelessly so.
For those interested to test it out, users can easily log in using their Instagram credentials, ensuring that their usernames, followers, and verification status are seamlessly transferred.
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What is Threads
For now, the app lets users publish short posts or updates that are up to 500 characters. You have the flexibility to include links, photos, or videos that are up to 5 minutes in length. The app seamlessly integrates with your Instagram account, allowing you to effortlessly share Threads posts to your Instagram story or share them as links on other platforms of your choice, as per Meta's statement.
Within your feed, you'll find posts from accounts you follow on both Instagram and Threads, along with curated recommendations for discovering new content. Additionally, you have the option to apply word filters to customise your feed and control who can mention you.
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How to use Threads
To join Threads, you need to have an existing Instagram account, as the platform requires you to use your Instagram login credentials for sign-in. Once you create your Threads account, your Instagram username will be automatically carried over. However, you have the option to customise your profile or have a default private profile set up.
Migrating your following from Instagram to Threads is a breeze, allowing you to effortlessly follow the same accounts with just a few clicks, saving you from starting from scratch. When you create a post or “Thread,” you have the freedom to choose who can view it, whether it's the entire world or just your followers.
In terms of features, Threads offers familiar options to Twitter and Instagram users. You can unfollow, report, block, or restrict profiles, easily accessible through the three dots drop-down menu. Profiles you have blocked on Instagram will automatically be blocked on Threads as well.
Read more: How To Safeguard Your Online Presence? Experts Weigh In On Phishing, Passwords, And More
Is Threads the new Twitter?
While the anticipated cage fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg may not have materialised, the looming showdown between these social media giants appears inevitable. The striking similarities between their respective apps cannot be denied, and with the increasing discontent among many users towards Twitter, Threads' potential for rapid growth becomes apparent.
Despite Meta's mixed track record with recent innovations, could Threads be the saving grace it needs? Only time will tell. In the meantime, as you explore the new app, we invite you to give us a follow for updates!
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Sim Wie Boon is the general manager of Tatler Malaysia. Previously the print and digital editor, Sim hails from the land of the hornbills, Sarawak. Sim is now based in Kuala Lumpur and brings more than a decade of experience in the media industry as a journalist and broadcast producer.
As a self-proclaimed geriatric millennial, he appreciates the finer things in life, from savouring a sip of single malt whisky to relishing in the deliciousness of char siew. While reminiscing about the indie-sleaze era, Sim now finds solace in the soothing tunes of ambient music, staying active through running and occasionally succumbing to the addictive world of doom scrolling.
Follow him on Instagram or Threads at @simwb
