By Threads, the Instagram-based challenge launched by Mark Zuckerberg as a potential rival to Twitter, has gained significant traction with tens of millions of downloads. However, its success in dethroning Twitter remains uncertain.
Amidst ongoing speculation about Threads’ potential as a “Twitter Killer,” let’s delve into one of its unique features: its aim to be a decentralized platform.
Why Are Twitter Alternatives Emerging?
Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter and his plans to overhaul the platform have raised concerns among users and advertisers. This has sparked a digital succession crisis, as various social media networks compete for the attention of users seeking alternative platforms. As users migrate from Twitter, they are exploring different options in search of the next prominent online forum.
Twitter’s recent limitations on the number of tweets users can read have been met with widespread dissatisfaction. While alternative platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky exist, none have achieved the same level of popularity as Twitter.
Decentralized Platform: Threads’ Unique Approach
One of the key distinctions between Threads and Twitter is Threads’ ambition to be a decentralized platform. Threads aims to enable users to share their posts across other social media platforms, such as Mastodon, facilitating interoperability among apps built on the same underlying standards. This decentralized approach sets Threads apart from Twitter, which has restricted third-party developers’ access to its API, as reported by Vox.
As Meta’s first app with a focus on decentralization, Threads aligns with the concept that users should have the ability to transfer their social media content and engage across various apps. Mastodon, a popular social network, already operates on a decentralized model, which advocates argue can create a more diverse internet ecosystem not dominated by a single social media company. Threads intends to adopt a similar decentralized approach.
Although Threads has plans for interoperability, it is not yet fully functional. According to a blog post by Meta, the company behind Threads, the app will soon be compatible with the ActivityPub protocol. This protocol, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), establishes standards for independent operation of social networks.
The ultimate goal is for Threads posts to be visible on other apps, such as Mastodon or WordPress, and allow users to comment across these apps. Additionally, if users decide to switch from Threads to another app, they should be able to seamlessly transfer their content.
Meta believes that this decentralized approach, akin to the protocols governing email and the web, will play a significant role in the future of online platforms. However, while decentralization is a trending concept in the tech industry, the average user may not be familiar with it or prioritize it, as explained in the report.
