Podcast Summary
Instagram's New App Threads: A Twitter Competitor?: Instagram's Threads app, led by Adam Mosseri, positions itself as a Twitter competitor, offering insights into its motivations and differences from other social media platforms.
Instagram, under the leadership of Adam Mosseri, has launched a new app called Threads, which is being positioned as a Twitter competitor. The interview with Mosseri on Hardfork marks the first time we've been able to ask Instagram directly about the app's similarities and differences from Twitter. The launch of Threads comes at a time when the social media landscape is feeling particularly unsettled, with Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter and Meta's long-standing desire to compete with the platform. The conversation between Mosseri and the hosts of Hardfork provides valuable insights into the motivations behind the app's creation and what sets it apart from other social media platforms. The interview also touches on the ongoing debate about the importance of taking vacations and the idea that coming in on days off to discuss important news is a reflection of American values. Overall, the launch of Threads and the opportunity to speak with Mosseri about it marks an exciting development in the world of social media.
Threads differentiates itself with decentralization and easy follower transfer: Meta's new social media platform, Threads, stands out with decentralization and the ability to transfer followers from other platforms, appealing to users with large followings.
Meta's new social media platform, Threads, is differentiating itself from competitors like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram through decentralization. This means Threads will be compatible with other social networks built on the same protocol, Activity Pub. For users, this means they can easily transfer their followers from one platform to another, making it an attractive option for those with large followings on Instagram. The ease of transferring followers sets Threads apart from other new social media platforms where users must start from scratch. Additionally, the decentralized nature of Threads represents a significant shift for Meta, as they are relinquishing control and opening their doors to other networks. During the early stages of Threads, the app has primarily attracted celebrities, famous Instagram users, and brands, giving it a beta version feel. However, the key difference lies in the potential for seamless cross-platform following and interaction, making it an intriguing alternative to existing social media platforms.
Instagram's new app Threads focuses on public conversations and communities: Instagram's new app Threads aims to offer a unique experience for users through a focus on public conversations and building a strong community.
The success of an app may depend on its leadership and the opportunity it presents for a vibrant creator community. During this conversation, we discussed Instagram's attempt to recruit notable figures like Oprah and the Dalai Lama, and the potential of a new app called Threads, created by Adam Missouri. Adam was approached by Casey due to Twitter's issues seven months ago, and after considering the risks and opportunities, they decided to launch a separate app for public conversations. When opening Threads, users will find an interface similar to other text-based social networks, but the focus is on communities and public discourse. The team debated integrating text into Instagram feed or having a separate tab, but ultimately chose the riskier option of a standalone app. The success of Threads may depend on its ability to provide a unique experience for users and attract a strong community.
A new social media app, Threads, offers more robust public discourse with a tweet-and-reply model and decentralization.: Threads is a new social media app that utilizes a tweet-and-reply model and decentralization to foster more diverse and engaging conversations, elevating replies to the same level as initial posts, and making it an open and decentralized platform for public discourse.
Threads, a new social media app, aims to offer a complementary platform to Instagram for users seeking more robust public discourse. While both apps share similarities, such as a feed, search, composer, and profile tabs, Threads differentiates itself by utilizing a tweet-and-reply model and decentralization through the activity pub protocol. This model allows for more diverse and engaging conversations, elevating replies to the same level as initial posts. Threads also offers the ability to follow and engage with users across different apps, making it an open and decentralized social media platform. The hope is that these features will make Threads a better fit for communities desiring more in-depth public discourse.
Threads aims to decentralize to empower creators and provide a better value proposition: Threads is exploring decentralization to attract more creators and users concerned about data privacy, but it's a significant undertaking with uncertain short-term benefits
Threads, a social media platform, is exploring decentralization to empower creators and provide a more compelling value proposition over time. This means creators could potentially take their audiences with them if they switch platforms, and Threads could follow content from other large apps using the same protocol. However, there are trade-offs, including giving up some control. The decentralization piece might not be a major factor in short-term adoption, but it could attract more creative talent and users concerned about data privacy in the long run. It's a significant undertaking, and success will depend on whether it moves the needle for user adoption.
Instagram's Threads app: Behind the scenes of a new feature: Instagram's Threads app faces regulatory delays and a gradual user adoption, but the team remains committed to expanding its availability and exploring monetization options.
The launch of a new feature, such as Instagram's Threads app, involves significant work behind the scenes, including reporting, classification, and ranking. While the feature has the potential to make a meaningful impact over the long term, it may not significantly change usage patterns in the immediate future. Monetization through ads is a likely direction, but the team's current focus is on building something that users love and want to keep using. The app's EU launch is delayed due to regulatory complexities requiring detailed disclosures about data sharing between apps. The team is committed to complying with these regulations, but the process is taking longer than expected. Despite these challenges, the team remains focused on expanding the app's availability to more countries in the future.
Meta focusing on data security and transparency, also moving away from hard news: Meta is prioritizing data security and transparency, while attempting to reduce the presence of hard news and political controversy on their platforms, with a focus on entertainment and shared interests.
Meta, formerly Facebook, is under immense pressure to ensure data security and transparency, going beyond just disclosures and consent. They are building and testing systems to prevent data leakage and communicating these processes effectively to avoid scrutiny from regulators and the media. However, the company has been trying to move away from hard news and political controversy on their platforms, focusing instead on entertainment and verticals like sports, music, fashion, and art. Despite the inevitable presence of hard news and political content, Meta's hope is to strengthen their platforms in areas where they already excel. The new thread feature, which encourages public discourse, may attract news junkies and political reporters, but Meta's primary focus remains on fostering communities around shared interests.
Effective content moderation crucial for online communities: Threads, Instagram's new social network, uses same guidelines for user safety but allows servers to set their own policies. Effective moderation and clear guidelines ensure positive user experience and safe online communities.
While there's room for multiple tech space social networks, each with unique features and use cases, effective content moderation is crucial for maintaining a safe and inclusive online community. In the case of Instagram's new social network, Threads, the app uses the same community guidelines as Instagram to ensure user safety. However, the activity protocol leaves room for different servers to have their own policies and guidelines. Threads has a simpler design compared to Twitter, with a character limit of 500 and no inbox, spaces, or communities tab. Content moderation on Threads follows Instagram's guidelines, but servers can decide not to show or block content that violates their policies without affecting the original content on the server. The lack of limits on the number of posts one can view per day is a significant difference from Twitter. Overall, effective content moderation and clear guidelines are essential for any social media platform to ensure a positive user experience and maintain a safe and inclusive online community.
Twitter and Instagram have distinct approaches to social media: Twitter focuses on text and conversation threads, while Instagram prioritizes creativity and inspiration. Both platforms evolve by learning from competitors, but success depends on execution and application.
Twitter and Instagram approach social media differently, with Twitter focusing on text and conversation threads, while Instagram prioritizes creativity and inspiration. Twitter is currently working on enhancing threads with friendly tools and a welcoming community, while Instagram continues to inspire creativity and bring people together. Regarding Facebook and Instagram's strategy of cloning or borrowing features from competitors, it's essential to give credit where it's due and learn from their successes. However, not every attempt will be successful, and there's a risk involved in any bet, whether it's borrowing from others or not. The key is to evolve forward and not simply clone, and success often depends on the execution and application of the borrowed ideas to one's unique platform.
Twitter's reply model contributes to public discourse success: Twitter's unique reply model fosters engaging conversations, placing them equal to the original post, while Instagram's separate conversation space did not work in a feed format. In managing projects, consider balancing risks and values.
The design of Twitter's reply model, which makes conversations equal to the original post, has significantly contributed to the platform's success in public discourse. This model, which is not present in a similar way in other social media apps, places conversations at the forefront and creates a flatter, more engaging space for discourse. However, implementing this model into a feed format did not work for Instagram, leading to the creation of a separate space for conversations. When managing a team or organization, it's important to consider the risk and value of different projects as part of a larger portfolio, ensuring a balance of high-risk, high-value projects, medium-risk, medium-value projects, and sure things.
Taking Risks in Innovation: Instagram's development of Reels involved significant risk due to competition and internal scrutiny, but the potential rewards were worth it. Personal choices on social media can greatly impact one's experience.
Innovation comes with significant risk, but the potential rewards can be immense. Instagram executive Adam Mosseri shares his experience with the development of Instagram Reels, which felt like the longest limb they had ever crawled out on due to intense competition from TikTok and internal scrutiny. Despite some setbacks, Mosseri believes that taking risks is important, even if the outcome is uncertain. He also emphasizes that personal decisions, such as who to follow on social media, can greatly impact one's experience on a platform. Regarding Twitter, Mosseri, a longtime user, acknowledges that his own choices led him to encounter difficult elements on the platform. However, he values the vibrant community of journalists and other users on Twitter and enjoyed engaging with them. Overall, Mosseri's perspective underscores the importance of taking calculated risks and embracing the challenges that come with innovation and community engagement.
Embracing Change and Network Effects: Change brings risks and opportunities, and strong network effects can drive growth and innovation.
Change brings risks and opportunities. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, discussed his experience stepping into unfamiliar territory during Facebook's transition. He acknowledged the potential mistakes that come with new ownership and new ways of operating, but also highlighted the benefits of shaking things up and considering new ideas. Mosseri expressed excitement about the future evolution of Instagram, acknowledging that it will likely look different in a few years. Regarding Elon Musk's criticism of Instagram's new app, Mosseri declined to engage in a public feud and instead focused on ensuring the app's success by making it fast and user-friendly. Overall, Mosseri emphasized the importance of embracing change and the strong network effects that drive growth and innovation.
