Seriously spent my entire morning and half the afternoon yesterday exploring the newest supposed “Twitter-Killer” social media app, Threads.
What is it? Basically a conversational extension of Instagram. Which means, before you run to sign up, know that if, for whatever reason, you decide you don’t like it, your Threads account cannot be closed/deleted without *also* closing/deleting your Instagram account.
It’s also just as data-hungry for every bit of information about your daily life and habits as Meta’s other platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and, yes, even WhatsApp). Not a big factor for those who are still using those apps despite its data collection practices, but it is something to consider if you aren’t already invested in Meta’s platforms in any part because of its data harvesting.
Those two bits of important information out of the way, here are my (everyday regular person) thoughts on Threads:
It’s a decent microblogging app with a familiar feel. The name is cute, the icon is cuter.
The day started out feeling very much like a super-lovey party where everyone was happy and excited to see each other. It felt like *everyone* was there, all at once, and for a few hours it seemed almost… magical.
But the peace and joy was, alas, fleeting. The ilk of social media started shuffling in and put a damper on things. Which is sad, because a lot of the people who flocked to the platform did so with the hope of a welcoming and inclusive microblogging space. One that could truly and finally be the ideal Twitter replacement.
Same old shit, different platform.
Well, almost the same old shit—at least Elon Musk wasn’t there spewing his bullshit and chances are high that Mark Zuckerberg won’t blindly run it into the ground in response to various fits of hate and rage.
But it also doesn’t appear that it will be free of the same lopsided moderation as its Facebook and Instagram siblings. At least, not yet. Will they fix that? I don’t know. But I suggest they get it sorted sooner rather than later.
Name-calling, threats, and general bullying have no place in conversational spaces. When those situations escalate, as they often do, and reports are made for moderation, it’s my understanding from a lot of people I’ve spoken with that Facebook and Instagram (and now Threads) tends to punish the defender and not the offender.
My suggestion, if you want to continue to use and benefit from these spaces, is to simply not engage. I know, the first reaction is to want to defend or counter-attack, I get it. But it does no one any good if you get your account locked or temporarily banned because of it.
So do not engage with them.
Report the offender, then block or hide their account, and get right back to spreading your *good* messages and fighting the good fight. That is, after all, the whole reason we’re all using these spaces, right? To fight the good fight… not get shut down by mods for wasting keystrokes on people who will likely *never* get it.
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