Meta launched a limited version of Threads, a direct competitor to Twitter, yesterday. Users can post text, images, and videos up to 5 minutes long, and like, comment, and re-share other people’s posts
Despite the limited availability, the platform saw 10 million sign-ups in the first 7 hours. This is according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who updated his page with the latest numbers. Two hours after launch, Threads had 2 million sign-ups, and 5 million in 4 hours.
This means that between 250 and 350 people from more than 100 countries registered every second. The number of sign-ups would have been even higher if Threads had launched in the European Union, but regulators have confirmed that Meta is still working to make the new service GDPR-compliant. Users in the EU will have to wait a little bit longer before they can register for Threads.
Zuckerberg has said that Threads is not just aiming to be an alternative to Twitter. It will soon be compatible with the open protocol ActivityPub, which means it will be interoperable with Mastodon and WordPress. This will allow for new types of connections between people that are not possible on current popular social media apps.
Threads is available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and on desktop at threads.net. The easiest way to connect is with an existing Instagram account and username. The service will soon get more features, such as suggested posts, a more robust search function, and easier navigation for following trends in real life, similar to hashtags.
