BACKUnraveling Threads: A not-so-happy Birthday to the “X”-inspired social media platform
You’re aimlessly scrolling through Instagram while waiting for the train and see your cousin posted a rant about Bridgerton on Threads. Wait…Threads? Isn’t this Instagram? You click on the post to continue reading since the preview only shows a few words rather than the entirety of her sound-off, but you’re immediately met with a pop-up to download Threads from the app store. Let the annoyance (and curiosity) begin. Keep reading to learn about Threads developments, milestones, and upcoming entry into the ad-world.
It’s been one year since the birth of the “X”-hatred fueled “Threads” dropped into the Meta-verse. Since Elon Musk’s takeover of the then Twitter, now “X” platform, users are furious over countless changes like needing an account to view a tweet, rumors of unfit work environments for employees, and the big bad branding overhaul. Mark Zuckerberg saw an opportunity: create a brand new short-form text posting app, but with users’ concerns in mind.
As musicians and marketers, new platforms, especially via Meta, are exciting. They usually mean new ways to connect with fans, promote concerts, and sell merchandise. As for “Threads”, much is left to desire. Users quickly realized that the most attention-grabbing aspect of “X”, the heated discussions and debates, was what was driving most of the feed on “Threads”. One user said, “I wasn’t even threading, but it was immediately apparent that the thread somehow wound its way in. Rather than display the cat content I seek, its landing page defaulted to an algorithmic “For you,” and what Threads thought was “for me” was a tailor-made stream of trigger bait.” Working in the entertainment industry, this concept can be problematic. What could be a platform to open intellectual conversations about sonatas or share rehearsal tips has quickly spiraled into a cancellation machine.
“Threads” developers teased the idea of jumpstarting ads via “threads” once they hit one billion users, a milestone that does not seem in reach within their prospected timeline: late 2024. While we wait, creators suggest “businesses to experiment with Threads as part of their organic social strategy where it makes sense.” Although the idea sounds lovely, what use does “Threads” provide as a marketing tool? The truth is, it may not be much…but the strength of “Threads” is community engagement. Viewers crave personal, raw, and vulnerable content from both businesses and musicians, and “Threads” is the perfect platform for that. Its short-form format encourages spur of the moment and stream of consciousness blurbs, something that could very well fit in the aesthetic of an intellectual musician. With this in mind…why isn’t it working? Inconvenience. “Threads” is only accessible via app with no desktop option, there are bots present in almost every other post on your feed, you can’t find the posts of the users you follow vs those from your “for you page”, the list goes on. On top of that hefty list, there simply isn’t much to look at with the low rate of users.
In conclusion, similar to “X”, “Threads” is in its trouble-shooting era, and may not provide much as a marketing tool quite yet. We’ll keep our eye out, and update you as ads functions roll out.
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Read More:
“The Demise of Threads: What Went Wrong?” RSS, www.ocoya.com/blog/demise-of-threads. Accessed 20 June 2024.
Paul, Pamela. “Is Threads the Good Place?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/03/28/opinion/threads-x-twitter-social-media.html.
Scanlon, Krystal. “Meta’s Threads Expected to Have Ads This Year.” Digiday, 17 Apr. 2024, digiday.com/marketing/metas-threads-expected-to-have-ads-this-year/.