Instagram's Threads: Meta's entry into the text-based conversations arena

In a strategic move to directly rival Twitter, Instagram, now under Meta's ownership, has officially launched "Threads," an app designed for text-based conversations.

During the launch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed the vision behind Threads, aiming to leverage Instagram's strengths and extend them to encompass text, ideas, and open discussions. He emphasized the need for a friendly community in today's world.

The app is now available for both iOS and Android users in over 100 countries, including India.

Threads enables users to share posts with up to 500 characters and incorporates several features reminiscent of Twitter's functionality.

While Threads operates as a standalone app, users can log in using their Instagram accounts, seamlessly carrying over their Instagram usernames. Additionally, there is an option to customize profiles exclusively for Threads.

The nature of the app is similar to Twitter, the tweets are called as 'threads', and retweets are called as 'reposts'.

According to Meta, users will have the choice to follow the same accounts they already follow on Instagram. Notably, the app allows users to maintain privacy on Instagram while potentially opting for a public presence on Threads.