Instagram’s two billion users have their own social network! In just a few hours, Threads conquered millions of Internet users.
“Good morning everyone! We have great news today. We are launching Threads, an open and friendly public space for conversations.” It is through this message published on his Instagram account that Mark Zuckerberg, president of Meta, announced it the official launch of the new social network: Threads. A few hours later, more than ten million people had downloaded the application, except in Europe where it is not yet available.
Lien officiel de Threads (US) : https://www.threads.net Téléchargement de l'application : App Store & Google Play
The reasons for Threads’ success
An immediate craze
The Meta group quickly announced the registration of personalities on its new social network such as Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and the Dalai Lama. Likewise, large groups such as Netflix, Reuters or Coca-Cola quickly opened an account. But the reasons for success lie elsewhere. With Instagram, Meta has a gigantic base of almost two billion users. They are invited to join the new platform. This success pushed Zuckerberg to target his rival: “I think there should be a chat app with at least a billion people. Twitter had the opportunity to do so, but failed. We hope to get there.”.
Navigating Twitter’s troubles
Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, the network has entered a period of turbulence. With nearly 400 million users worldwide, including a large portion in the United States, Twitter is the main prey of newcomer Meta. In a few months, the application lost millions of users, millions of dollars in advertising revenue, and over 60% of its employees. The consequences are felt:
- multiplication of technical problems
- proliferation of hateful content
- loss of popularity of the network
Elon Musk took the new actor’s outburst badly, threatening him with legal action. He also tweeted on his account (followed by more than 140 million subscribers): “Competition is not a problem. Betrayal is one of them.”. For his rival the objective is also to recover the dissatisfied of Twitter.
An easy to use app
Instagram discussions/integration
As on Twitter, the Internet user follows discussion threads posted by people of his choice. Messages have a limited number of characters: no more than 500 (280 for its competitor). You may include links to photos or videos (as long as they do not exceed five minutes). The Internet user is also invited to respond by liking and «retweeter» the threads of threads.
The connection with Instagram is natural. It is even mandatory since you need an Instagram account to download the new application. A thread can easily be shared to an Instagram account. Features, such as AI-created image descriptions, are replicable across threads. One caution, however, if a user wants to delete their new Threads account, Meta also deletes their Instagram account.
Fast and free installation
To install Threads, just follow a few steps.
- Open the Google Play Store or Apple App Store
- Chercher «Threads, an Instagram app»
- Click Install, then open the application
- Sign in with an Instagram account
- Confirm your details (name, biography, profile)
- Configure the level of privacy (public or private profile)
- Finally, click on “Merge Threads”
Afterwards the Internet user can finally tweet “threader” as you want.
Twitter’s rival will not arrive in Europe immediately
Meta awaits regulatory clarifications
Meta appears to have difficulty applying European data protection regulations (RGBP). In May 2023, Mark Zuckerberg’s company was sentenced to pay a fine of 1.2 billion euros. This is the heaviest fine imposed by the Irish regulators (Data Protection Commission). The reason is an illegal and massive transfer of data from European Internet users to Meta servers located in the USA. The fine has not yet been paid. No launch date for Threads in the European Union has yet been set.
Wires already present in a hundred countries
Outside the European Union, more than 100 countries can use Threads. The app can also be downloaded in the United Kingdom, a former EU member state. Meta remains cautious, because its new application collects all types of data: financial, commercial (purchases), navigation (history) but also contacts. Threads is not yet ready to face European data protection rules.
How to download and install the Threads app in France? VPN or APK
Solution #1 – Android Installation Discussions
It is therefore not possible to install Threads in Europe from the Google Play Store.
However, one technical trick seems to work perfectly! simply download the .APK installation file of the application on a recognized site (such as frandroid.com or lesnumeriques.com) and install it on your smartphone (Android). Furthermore, you can directly access the official threads.net website using a simple VPN (examples: ExpressVPN, NordVPN or CyberGhost). The app is already available in several languages, including French.
Solution #2 – Installation Discussions on an iPhone
For iPhone owners, simply create a US Apple account to be able to download Threads from the US App Store. Another temporary solution would be to download Thread via TestFlight, an online service for installing and live testing iOS (Apple) mobile applications.
The question that agitates network specialists is whether Meta’s new tool will crush Twitter. For some, Tweeter’s social capital built over the years will not be easy to match. To others, Meta’s power is an unstoppable force that will wipe out anything in its path. Undeniably, Threads has made a sensational arrival. Many influencers, politicians, celebrities, artists and content creators have already adopted the application.
