Instagram Threads: Meta's attempt to attract Twitter followers; its launch date, features and more information 

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg wants to cash in on the opportunity of Twitter fans angry with the microblogging site Elon Musk for frequently changing rules. Instagram, which is owned by Zuckerberg, is set to launch a new app, Instagram Threads, on Thursday (July 6) to rival Twitter. Threads claims to work in a similar way to Twitter, where one can like, comment, and share content.

The development came a few days after Elon Musk temporarily restricted the number of tweets one can view in a day on Twitter.

Under the new regulations, Twitter's unverified subscribers cannot view more than 600 tweets a day. 

Features of Threads

Threads claims to function in the same way as Twitter.

As per the examples in the screenshots on the App Store listing, people can like, comment on, and share text-based posts on Threads.

Other than that, people can follow the accounts they want and retain their username. Instagram has also given a brief description of the app on App Store.

"Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world."

The listing also shows screenshots from the Google Play listing, where one can see how to log in to Threads through an Instagram account and find Instagram accounts they follow.

The listing also shows that one can post on Threads similarly to Twitter and its rivals, Bluesky, and Mastodon.  

The Verge reported that Meta executives last month said that Instagram Threads will integrate with the decentralised social media protocol used by Mastodon or ActivityPub. 

Why are Twitter fans angry at Elon Musk?

Twitter fans are angry at Musk ever since he has made frequent changes to Twitter rules.

A lot of Twitter accountholders vented their ire on Twitter when the Tesla chief announced new limits for the number of tweets one can read.

A Blue-verified account holder can read 10 times more tweets than a regular account holder. Many Twitter followers consider such restrictions to be the beginning of the end of the website.

I was on this site for 5 mins and got this.

Thanks for my time back. I might be done. pic.twitter.com/1L0oFK5oJk

— Steve Cavendish (@scavendish) July 1, 2023