Mark Zuckerberg did his best Beyonce - surprise album drop - this week when Meta launched the new social media app Threads. Many parents have reached out to me on social media (@realtannerclark) asking about this app. This will give you my thoughts on the app, if I think you should be on it, and if it's safe for teens.
This is your quick introduction into the hottest app in the world.
What is Threads?
Threads is the newest, hottest social media app in the world. It's Meta's (Facebook, Instagram) way of competing with Twitter. Users share short text "threads" (get it) which can include pictures, videos, gifs, or plain text.
The app is the #1 app in the app store. 5 million people joined the app in the first 4 hours. 40 million people joined in the first 24 hours and there are now over 100 million people on the app in just 7 days.
How are Threads and Instagram related?
Threads is the sister app of Facebook and Instagram which are owned by Meta. They are much more related than that though. Threads and Instagram are more like twins...but not the identical type. I saw that because at the root of it, these two apps share the same DNA. So much so that you can't "delete" your Threads account without also deleting Instagram. You can deactivate your account but you can't delete it. This shows just how intertwined and related Instagram and Threads are. The positive side of that - for some - is that Threads ports over your follower and following list so when someone who you are already connected with on Instagram joins Threads you will already be connected.
Why is Threads so popular all of a sudden?
You know when you were young and got a new toy at Christmas or for your Birthday and for the next week it's all you played with. That's kind of like Threads right now. It's new and shiny.
The real answer - DOPAMINE. Social media has always been about dopamine. It's why everyone likes it so much. Threads has done a masterful job at pumping dopamine into early adopters. So much so that the app became the #1 app in the world. Not just #1 in social media, but #1 across all categories. That's a big deal.
Two things happened when Threads launched that amped up the dopamine for it's users. One was intentional, was unintentional.
1. Instant followers: By porting over followers from Instagram they turned on a crazy dopamine drip. When users created their Threads account it was like magic to watch the followers rise. Every pull down and refresh resulted in more followers. It' was a vicious cycle that had users spending hours a day on the app.
Refresh -> increased followers -> dopamine drip.
2. Since everyone was new on Threads at the same time, it put celebrities, athletes, and everyone else on an even playing field. The result was that for 24 hours celebrities and non-celebrities were having conversations together.
In addition to boosting dopamine, instagram created FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) by adding a “Thr
ead count” at the top of every Instagram profile that had signed up. The Thread count alerted people that you had 1. Signed up and 2. What number you are. I’m number 3,503,782 by the way.
What I like and don’t like about Threads?
This list is subject to change as the app evolves but I want to give you a quick look at the pros and cons from my perspective to help you navigate this app.
Likes:
No direct messaging: This is a big win and I hope it stays that way. No change to get a backdoor message. Everything is right out in the open.
Positive posts: In the early days of the app the messages have been positive. People having fun and being overall happy and positive. (see my dislikes list…)
Blocking people is easy: You are just a click or two away from blocking people. I’ve been on the app for 5 days and blocked dozens of people who pop up in my feed. Why? Because I just don’t need to hear EVERYBODY’s opinion on everything. You can also see that #2 above is getting less and less.
Ease of use: Meta did a great job making the app clean and simple. As a marketer by trade I can’t help but applaud their cleanliness of design.
Dislikes:
The dopamine pump: Social media continues to get better and better at tapping into our emotional response brain. Instant followers from Instagram is brilliant in terms of keeping you on the app.
You can’t change people: Remember #2 above…well it’s already shifting. Why? Because people are people. What’s the saying? You can’t change a tigers stripes. When people with opinions join a new app, they join with their opinions…and then they share their opinions. Additionally, girls showing their bodies, vulgarity…etc etc. It’s all starting to pop up.
The algorithm: The algorithm is really unknown at this point but let’s be clear that every algorithm on social media has one goal in mind: keep you here longer. This algorithm will use all of the power from Instagram to make sure you spend as much time as possible on the app.
Time waster: This app is just one more place to waste a lot of time. In the early days of the app people are wasting TONS of it. I don’t anticipate the level of time wasting staying as high as it is but it is just one more thing.
Is Threads safe for teenagers?
The big question has a simple answer…no.
Why? First, it’s too soon to know what this app will become. We don’t know the algorithm, we don’t know the type of content, we don’t know how Meta will enforce rules…we don’t even know the rules!!
What I can say is that Threads won’t get safer, it will get worse. It will get more toxic as world events happen. Gun control? LGBTQ? Abortion? And any other number of controversial topics have not been debated on the app…but it’s coming. Soon.
Final Thoughts
Threads has been a global phenomena. The buzz and the energy were so strong in the first couple of days. Time will only tell what this app will become. What is important is that YOU choose who YOU want to become and you get to decide if this app is helping you or hurting you in your path to happy. I have my guesses as to if it will help or hurt but that is for you to decide on your own. What I do know is that this won’t help teenagers become who they can become. Life isn’t live…online.
What are your thoughts on Threads? Leave a comment and share to your social feed to help spread the word about this app.