With the arrival of THREAD, a micro-blogging app, will it be a THREAT for Twitter? What do you think?
Origin of Twitter
The concept for Twitter was first conceived by Jack Dorsey, one of the co-founders, in 2006. Initially, the platform was designed as an SMS-based communication tool for groups of friends to stay connected and share updates. During a brainstorming session at Odeo, the podcasting company Dorsey presented the idea to co-founder Even Williams, who allowed him to develop the project further. Twitter was built using Ruby on Rails, a specialized web application framework for the Ruby programming language, and has a unique interface that allows for open adaptation and integration with other online services. In its early stages, the platform was referred to as twttr, with credit for its original name and final incarnation as Twitter given to software developer Noah Glass.
Initially known as “twttr” and exclusively used by Odeo employees, the first version of Twitter was introduced to the public on July 15, 2006. In its early days, the website saw approximately 20,000 tweets per day, which grew to 60,000 in 2007 when it gained popularity at the South by Southwest Interactive conference.
Using instant messaging technologies, Twitter allows users to distribute short messages among group recipients and create networks similar to social networking sites like Facebook. These networks enable communication throughout the day with brief messages.
The Blue Bird’s Reach
Twitter began gaining widespread social media recognition after its success at the conference. By 2008, the website received 300,000 tweets daily, which had grown to 50 million by early 2010. The platform quickly became popular among individuals who wanted to share messages with friends and businesses seeking to advertise and engage with customers. As a result, TV shows and companies began promoting hashtags and encouraging consumers to include them in their tweets. At the same time, Twitter handles a common identifier in personal and professional contexts.
For several years now, Twitter has remained a prominent player in social media, being famous among individuals and companies, with around 500 million tweets shared daily. Businesses of all scales find the blue bird a useful resource that enables them to engage with their customers, stay abreast of current trends, and advertise their content and other online offerings.
Twitter’s friendly rival, Thread
The introduction of Threads, a social media app with features like Twitter, has revolutionized the game. Meta, the company that also owns Instagram and Facebook, launched the platform ahead of schedule on July 5, 2023, and it was warmly received, particularly by Twitter users who have been disheartened by Elon Musk’s handling of the forum.
Threads gained approximately 30 million users in less than a day. With Meta’s existing user base of over 2 billion Instagram accounts, the app directly connects to Threads, rapidly showing 10 million signups shortly after its launch.
Threads boast a simple black-and-white feed and features that allow users to respond, like, quote, and comment on other people’s “THREADS,”.
How Thread is similar to Twitter
With options to quote a thread, search, like and reply to posts and view ‘activity’ linked to what you uploaded – which is also the case for Twitter.
Unlike Bluebird, Threads does not currently have an option of directly messaging other users, and no desktop version is available. They also lack features such as lists, bookmarks, and the option to join communities.
But on the positive side, Threads does not utilize hashtags and instead searches for words and phrases posted by users rather than specific account names, which has traditionally been a simple task on Twitter but is now restricted.
