Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the platform’s new Twitter alternative is called Threads and offered early access to the app on Wednesday.
The official launch date for the app, which is described as “Instagram’s text-based conversation app,” was originally listed as July 6.
On Instagram, Zuckerberg wrote, “Threads is here. Let’s do this.” Instagram’s official account responded with three “thread” emojis.
In a follow-up IG video, Zuckerberg said, “Big news today! We are launching Threads, an open and friendly public space for conversation. It takes the best parts of the Instagram experience and creates a whole new app around text, ideas, and sharing what’s on your mind.”
A noticeably pleased Zuckerberg added. “[Of] the people who have tried it out so far, the reaction has been really great and I look forward to the fun journey ahead.”
Threads is available via Apple’s app store now. It’s just one of several new social media platforms, along with Mastodon, Hive, Post, Spill, and Bluesky from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, that hope to draw unhappy Twitter users.
In June, Meta’s chief product officer Chris Cox told staffers that Threads is for “creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run, that they believe that they can trust and rely upon for distribution.”
The “sanely run” bit is, of course, a knock at Elon Musk’s historically chaotic takeover of Twitter, which has bled advertisers, users and its reputation as a reliable source for breaking news amidst a rise in hate speech and the frequently revised bluecheck verification.
