Threads 101: A Break Down of Instagram’s Latest Creation

You may have heard the buzz around “Threads,” the latest social media platform. If you’re curious to learn more, read on as our Social and Digital Marketing lead, Amanda S. , takes us through Threads 101, including 10 suggestions to make it even better.  

A new app has made a huge splash in just 24 hours. Threads, an application by Instagram, has launched and was touting over 30 million users in less than a day, skyrocketing to the top of Apple’s App Store and Android’s Google Play.  Here’s what you need to know about Threads:

What is Threads?

Threads is a creation of Meta (parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram). The app is Instagram’s version of Twitter, or as they explain it, “a new way to share with text.” You must have an Instagram account to join and your username and verification will carry over - no need to rush to claim your handle. You have the option to customize your profile information or import directly from Instagram. 

The app is “text-based” with a 500-character limit. You can “thread” your posts easily by replying to your own post. You may also reply to others and “repost” their threads. The app allows you to upload photos, videos, and outside links. Video in particular looks great, with no buffering to speak of and high-quality, screen-maximizing views. 

Where is Threads available?

According to Instagram, Threads is currently available in 100 countries and more than 30 languages. 

How Do I Use Threads?

The app is user-friendly and relatively simple to use, especially if you’re familiar with Twitter and Instagram.

Your Home page displays all of the Threads/posts from people you follow and for now, recommended posts from users you don’t follow. 

The Search page displays recommended accounts and allows you to search for specific accounts. Tapping the search bar also shows your search history, with an option to clear.

To create your first Thread, tap the Compose button and write your first Thread! You can upload a photo or video to accompany the post if you wish. 

Tap the Heart icon to view the Activity page, which is essentially a collection of all of your notifications (new followers, likes, etc.) 

The Profile page displays your profile, provides options to edit and share it, a link to your Instagram account, and various additional settings. 

How Do I Join Threads?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to join and begin using Threads. You can download Instagram Threads on iOS or on Android. Note: there is not yet a desktop version, only mobile. 

How to Activate Your Threads account:

1. First be sure to be signed into Instagram as the account you want to create a Threads account for (this is particularly relevant for social media and brand managers with multiple Instagram accounts). 
2. Go to the App Store or Play Store and search “Instagram Threads.” The app icon is a white @ symbol over a black background.
3. Tap Get or Install to begin the download
4. Open Threads and select your account to login and import from Instagram 
5. Edit your bio or use the one automatically imported from Instagram
6. Choose public or private account (brands should be public)
7. Followers. You can tap the Follow all button to follow all of the accounts you follow on Instagram, on Threads, tap the Follow button next to individuals to only follow the people you want, or tap the Next button in the upper-right corner to skip this step. (We recommend brands follow all, you can always unfollow individuals later if needed).
8. Tap Join Threads. You're in!

Is Threads Going to Replace Twitter?

Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri said in an interview with The Verge, "Obviously, Twitter pioneered the space. And there are a lot of good offerings out there for public conversations. But just given everything that was going on, we thought there was an opportunity to build something that was open and something that was good for the community that was already using Instagram."

In other words, maybe. 

While we wait to see how Twitter progresses, or doesn’t, here are 10  things we’d like to see from Threads in order for it to become a must-use social media platform and potentially takeover the space Twitter used to occupy:

1. The ability to filter your timeline: chronologically, only to those you follow, etc. Until they have a chronological option, news and sports will not yet reach peak Twitter-level 
2. A separate “For You” feed that is as good as TikTok’s “For You Page” i.e. improved recommendations
3. Address concerns about the amount of data that Threads, like Instagram, can collect about users, including location, contacts, search history, browsing history, contact information and more, according to the Apple App Store
4. Currently hashtags are not linked/trackable in Threads. If they’re going to incorporate them, we’d like to see that sooner than later. Then, we could also have a “Trending Now” list.
5. Overall improved search functionality. Currently users may only search usernames but not specific topics, breaking news, etc.
6. Addressing spam and bots as we know Instagram has continuously struggled to manage and remove these accounts 
7. Community Guidelines: enforcing and tightening these up. Meta will have to work to prevent harassment, misinformation, and hate speech as this is part of what caused users to sour on Twitter.
8. Don’t overrun us with ads. Currently many users' complaints about Facebook and Instagram include that their feeds are inundated with ads and suggested posts from those they do not follow.
9. While we’re rather enjoying not having direct messages as an option, Threads will likely need to incorporate that feature for various reasons and functionality. 
10. The ability to delete Threads without deleting Instagram. As noted by TechCrunch, Meta says in its “supplemental privacy policy” for Threads, “You may deactivate your Threads profile at any time, but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account.” 

While there is a lot that remains to be seen, if you are a brand, organization, business, or you represent one, we recommend you take the plunge and be an early adopter of this new space. Introduce yourself, your mission, and inject personality into your posts. Happy Threading!

Follow @MaroonPR on Threads. Learn more about Maroon PR and our services here.