Threads versus Twitter (Now Called X)

The social media landscape is constantly changing. A more recent change is having a major impact on one of the most popular social networks: Twitter is under new ownership - led by the billionaire Elon Musk - and has rebranded as "X."

The upheaval of ownership and the changing features and rules X is undergoing are creating some confusion and discomfort among many long-time Twitter users as well as well-known brands. Some companies are moving away from using X and putting more emphasis on other social networks.

Another recent development changed the social media landscape even further: Meta, Facebook’s parent company and owner of Instagram, launched a new social network called "Threads." Threads is essentially a streamlined version of Twitter with some of the same core features and functionality.

Many business owners are now faced with questions:

1. Should they keep their presence on X and continue marketing on it as they had with Twitter?
2. Should they move away from Twitter and focus on other social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest?
3. Should they adopt yet another new social network - Threads - and if so, how do they go about building a presence on it?

While the answers to these questions are not cut and dry and still evolving, here are some things to consider.

Pros and Cons of X

Starting with the positive, if you already had a robust following on Twitter, chances are you will still maintain some or most of that following today on X. Building a social media following on any platform is challenging so it may be beneficial to maintain a presence on X if you’ve found it to be helpful to market your products or services in the past.

On the negative side, the culture of X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, has changed significantly since the new owner took over. One major change has been related to profile verification and the loosening of some of the processes put in place to keep the network free from scams, harassment, and extremism.

Because of these changes to create a freer and more open environment, some long-time users of Twitter have felt unsafe, and scams and harassment seem to be on the rise. This unrest may not overtly affect your X experience or that of your audience, but being aware of the sentiment on X will be helpful as you monitor the situation and make your decision.

Pros and Cons of Threads

While it is too early to make a full assessment regarding Threads, here are a few things you should know.

Threads is owned by Meta and linked directly with Instagram. If you already have an Instagram account, you have an advantage when setting up your Threads account because some of your Instagram following will already be linked to your account. Meta has made it easy for Threads users to follow their Instagram connections to speed up building a following.

The flip side of this is that if you don’t already have Instagram, you’ll be back to building a following from scratch. You will also need to set up an Instagram account in order to set up a Threads account so, if you’re not already on Instagram, you’ll be faced with handling two social networks.

The integration between Instagram and Threads can be advantageous in helping you attract people to your Threads account and includes a way to post your Threads directly to your Instagram feed. These posts have a particular look that makes it obvious that it is a Threads post, bringing more awareness to your Threads account.

Another part of the integration between these two social networks is the presence of a link to Threads on your Instagram profile on both the web and mobile versions. The link consists of the Threads symbol which is reminiscent of the @ symbol alongside your user number which signifies when you joined the network. The link appears below your profile name.

To begin using Threads, experience using Twitter is a plus but not essential. You can do all the basic things you’d expect from a social network:

• Set up your profile with a photo, bio, and link.
• Follow other users.
• Post content including text, graphics, photos, and videos.
• Share content from other users.
• Search for topics of interest.
• Discover new users to follow.

At this time, Threads is not integrated into Facebook’s channel management tools or its self-serve advertising platform, however, that seems inevitable. At this time, the focus is on scaling the growth - currently at over 130 million members - and rolling out features. One feature that is currently missing from Threads is a clickable, searchable hashtag. While you can place hashtags on your Thread posts, they do not appear as a link as they do on most other social networks.

The viability of any new social network is often uncertain. However, because Threads was created by the most powerful social network company in the world, Meta, and is woven into Instagram, chances are it will continue to grow and be a suitable replacement to X - or a useful addition to your social media marketing mix.