META, the company widely known for replicating features from Snapchat, TikTok, StumbleUpon, Foursquare, BeReal, and Clubhouse. META began coding a new project dubbed 'Project 92,' a mere three months after Elon Musk acquired Twitter. There have been whispers that the app's public name will be 'Threads'.
Chris Cox, META's Chief Product Officer, described Project 92 as “our response to Twitter”. He further stated that this new app will allow Instagram users to effortlessly transfer their followers and user information straight to Threads.
Adding fuel to the fire, Cox took a swipe at
Elon Musk’s Twitter, claiming that META has “been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run”.
This statement raised some eyebrows, especially considering the Wall Street Journal’s investigation just a few weeks ago, which revealed the proliferation of child pornography rings on Instagram and
Facebook.
And it’s worth remembering that META is the same platform that came under fire for censoring the Lab leak theory and information about Hunter Biden’s laptop.
The burning question now is - Will "Threads" emerge as a genuine rival to Twitter?
Mark Zuckerberg, whose past has been marred by allegations of stealing
Facebook from its original inventors, has not seen much success in his attempts to replicate TikTok or emulate YouTube. Furthermore, his claims of inventing a novel concept called the Metaverse were criticized as simply repackaging virtual reality concepts from the early 2000s.
As Zuckerberg now sets his sights on copying Twitter, one can’t help but wonder if this move is an attempt to stave off the mass exodus of users from
Facebook. anyway, the good news is that soon, even grandparents who still clinging to
Facebook may be able to share glimpses of their life in nursing homes in 140 characters, in addition to posting those cherished pictures of casseroles.
Only time will tell if “Threads” will thread the needle or get lost in the shuffle.