#116 - 🔥 I tested Threads, the “Twitter” of Instagram

Once is not customary, this week I offer you the test of a social network: Threads. Well the last time I did the exercise was for Clubhouse... we can say that it didn't really bring it any luck.

On the menu this week:
🔥 I tested Threads the "Twitter" of Instagram
🌀 The incredible Sphere of Las Vegas is revealed
📄 The state of the Internet in France in 2022

🔥 I tested Threads the “Twitter” of Instagram

I was telling you about it la last week, Meta finally released its alternative to Twitter soberly named “Threads”.

It is even said in authorized circles that Zucketberg would have accelerated the launch of Threads to surf on the fiasco currently encountered by Twitter.

So I decided to give you a first test by trying to answer the following questions:

• What is Threads and what are the differences with Twitter ?
• How to install thread?
• My opinion after 5 days
• Can it work?

What is Threads and what are the differences with Twitter ?

Threads is a social network based mainly on text in which you have the possibility to:

• post messages of up to 500 characters
• Post videos of up to 5 minutes
• Post images in carousel mode

That's about it for the moment.

Nothing crazy you will tell me and you are completely right.

We can even say that Threads is much less complete than Twitter because at launch the application does not offer:

• A chronological timeline
• Private messaging
• Search functionalities
• Support for gifs

Adam Mosseri the boss of Threads already claims that most of these features are planned... In short, we feel that the launch was accelerated a little.

On the other hand, if there is another missing feature that we can forgive, it’s advertising.

But I trust Meta on this one, they never disappoint 👌.

How to install Threads?

No, I don't take you for an idiot because it's not enough to search in the AppStore to retrieve Threads. In fact, the application is currently not available in Europe because it potentially collects a large amount of data and this is not yet covered by the Digital Market Act.

Why E.U. Users May Not Get to Use Threads

Meta’s new app Threads has attracted millions of users, but it isn’t accessible in E.U. member states

TimeArmani Syed

However, as your Thread account is linked to your Instagram account you cannot delete it without losing your Instagram account.

To install the application, I recommend that you follow the procedure indicated here. If you have an iPhone, for example, you must create a US account. If you have an Android, you just have to download the executable of the application.

My opinion after 4 days

👍 Let's start with what's good:

What's striking when you start using Threads is the fluidity with which you arrive on this new social network (as long as you have a Instagram account). No account to create, recovery of the Instagram profile, suggestion to follow our Instagram subscribers,…

We understand how the platform has attracted the crowds so quickly.

Once connected it looks a lot like Twitter without ads and without Elon Musk which is already not bad. I also found it generally less toxic in terms of content.

I still note some good ideas such as the possibility of clicking on a "+" to follow an account directly from the feed.

I also love the carousel view which is one of the best I've seen on a social platform. It combines photos and videos with automatic playback for the most beautiful effect.

An excellent example below with the best moments of an NBA match.

Also follow the fact that Threads is to my knowledge the only Meta application which announces future compatibility with the Fediverse (therefore Mastodon). An open approach which could create an interesting precedent.

If you want to know more about the Fediverse, I recommend the podcast episode that we recorded on the subject of decentralized social networks.

👎 What's not so good:

My feed is full of accounts that I am not. Useful at the beginning to avoid the deserted city effect but it shouldn't last too long.

The default font is tiny. Not that I have vision problems but it creates a rather unpleasant lag with other applications.

Fortunately on iOS you can adjust the text size application by application (Settings > Accessibility > Settings according to apps).

It's still missing quite a few features.

Can it work?

Allow me to be a little categorical here. YES it's going to be a hit...in fact it's already a hit because as I write these lines, only 5 days after its launch Threads has just crossed the milestone of 100 million users.

It's simply huge.

For comparison, the number of Twitter users is estimated at around 300 million. Not bad when we know that the application is not officially available in Europe.

So of course there is the novelty effect and the platform is very little polluted (no ads, trolls) which should not last but we can count on the Meta war machine to capitalize on this first success.

Besides, I was amazed at the number of French accounts already created on the platform.

And then who better placed than Meta to copy another social network by overtaking it at its own game. Look at the success of the stories shamefully stolen from Snapchat.

In short, Threads has crept onto my home screen and I'm going to watch closely what's happening there in the coming months.

🌀 The incredible Sphere of Las Vegas is revealed

The news took the Internet a little by surprise since I think I'm not the only one to have discovered the project this week.

Many people first thought of a Fake before finding out more about it completely crazy project.

The MGS in Las Vegas lit its incredible Sphere for the first time: a project costing more than $2 billion which is a huge 17,000-seat performance hall.

It is quite simply the largest spherical structure in the world and U2 will be the first group to inaugurate it at the end of September 2023.

I have never been to Las Vegas and I must admit that I was less and less interested in the last few years but the idea of seeing this Sphere and attending a show inside raised my hype level to the highest level.

📄 The state of the Internet in France in 2022

As every year, ARCEP (the Telecoms regulator in France) publishes its study on the state of the Internet.

We discover that Internet traffic has multiplied by 20 in 20 years and that 5 players alone represent more than half of the traffic.

Streaming represents 1/4 of the traffic and Gafam as well.

You can consult the entire report below:

😎 Taylor Swift's fans are incredible

To end this week's edition on a slightly light touch, how can we not share with you this extract which shows that Taylor Swift's fans are really above the rest.

Here you have a fan who was called pale to be in the front row to buy merchandising.

Not crazy, she disguised herself a little before her TV appearance.

And that's it for this week!
If this newsletter interested you, you can:

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