Musk and Zuckerberg Start Fight? "Zuckerberg Strikes Back with Threads"

Gaining Popularity with an Easy-to-Navigate User Interface
Users Praise It Highly but... Initial Confusion Exists

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has received positive reviews immediately after launching its new social media (SNS) platform, 'Threads.'

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

On the 6th (local time), according to local media such as NBC in the US, experts predicted that Threads, launched as a 'rival to Twitter,' could indeed pose a threat to Twitter. Users also expressed anticipation and gave positive feedback in the initial evaluations.

Jasmine Enberg, senior analyst at market research firm Insider Intelligence, said, "'Cage match' (a type of contest where combatants fight in a confined space and escape beyond the top to win) has begun," adding, "Mark Zuckerberg has made a big move."

This was a metaphor referring to the exchange between Elon Musk, former CEO of Twitter and CEO of Tesla, and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, before the launch of Threads, where Musk said, "I am ready to have a 'cage match' with Zuckerberg."

Enberg continued, "(Threads) aligns with what was expected from Meta in many ways," praising, "Its excellent performance and easy-to-navigate user interface are exactly that."

Niklas Meyer, marketing professor at Chapman University in California, also said, "The launch of Threads came at the perfect moment to take Twitter's place." Threads was launched at a time when Musk had limited the number of posts visible per day on Twitter last week, drawing criticism from users.

Professor Meyer predicted, "Threads is built on the vast Instagram platform and will have a smooth start. As users increase, advertisers will follow."

Beauty and food writer Charlotte Palermino said she got hooked on Threads, saying, "How did I get so addicted to an app I barely know?" and added, "It's like dating in your twenties."

Other users also praised it, saying it felt "like the first day of summer camp."

There were also comments that Threads, which currently has no ads, evokes nostalgia for the early days of the internet. This is because CEO Zuckerberg announced a policy not to include ads until Threads surpasses 1 billion users.

However, Threads could not avoid some initial operational confusion.

Posts were not arranged in chronological order, making it difficult to grasp at a glance, and posts from users not followed appeared, among other issues.

Also, since there was no specific term for Threads posts, some users referred to them as 'tweets.'

Some users expressed cautious views, saying it is uncertain how Threads will develop and that there may be some flaws.

Meanwhile, Threads secured 30 million subscribers within 16 hours of its launch. This speed far surpasses that of generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT, which became a hot topic after surpassing 1 million users in five days. Microsoft (MS) co-founder Bill Gates, famous US broadcaster Oprah Winfrey, chef Gordon Ramsay, and others also created accounts, helping to spread the word.

Threads can be used without a separate registration process, based on the existing Instagram platform. Threads is a text-based SNS where users can write posts up to 500 characters and upload videos up to 5 minutes long.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.