Since Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter in 2022, several alternative social media platforms have emerged, gaining traction among users seeking new online communities. One such platform is Meta's Threads, a text-based Twitter rival that has quietly amassed over 275 million monthly active users as of November 2024.

Threads is closely tied to Instagram, allowing users to create an account by logging in with their Instagram credentials. This integration enables users to leverage their existing Instagram network to find people to follow on Threads. Notably, Threads does not currently offer paid tiers or ads, setting it apart from its Twitter counterpart.

In terms of features, Threads is still developing its capabilities. Currently, the app does not support long videos, direct messages, or live audio rooms, unlike Twitter. However, users can post up to 500 characters, including images, videos, and GIFs, with a maximum of 10 media items per post. To combat spam attacks, Threads has implemented rate limits on post views.

Despite its limitations, Threads has experienced rapid growth, crossing 10 million sign-ups within hours of its launch and reaching 100 million users within just five days. The platform is available on iOS and Android in over 100 countries, with the exception of the EU, where it was initially unavailable due to privacy concerns. Meta launched Threads in the EU in December 2023, offering users the option to browse the social network without an account, sans publishing or interacting with posts.

Threads allows users to customize their experience by pinning search terms and tags as feeds, and the company is testing a feature to create custom feeds by adding specific profiles and terms. Inspired by rival social network Bluesky, Threads has introduced "Starter Packs" – lists of people to follow based on different themes. Additionally, users can add their interests to their profile, directing them to active conversations about the topic.

One notable feature missing from Threads is direct messaging, which Meta's Instagram head Adam Mosseri attributes to the goal of not building "yet another inbox." Instead, users can share threads with other apps. Threads also launched a public API in June 2024, enabling developers to build tools for publishing posts, retrieving user posts, and gaining insights into engagement.

While Threads is not fully integrated into the fediverse, it has started an experiment to allow users to share their posts with the fediverse, enabling users on other compatible ActivityPub networks like Mastodon to follow and see their posts. Threads also allows users on the fediverse to like Threads posts and has extended fediverse support to include replies from fediverse users, distributed posts generated through the Threads API, and the ability to follow profiles from other fediverse servers.

Despite its growth and unique features, Threads still lacks full fediverse integration, scheduling posts, direct messages, support for lists, and support for third-party clients. Users have also raised concerns about the app's data collection practices, given the privacy labels mentioned in the App Store. Meta's deputy chief privacy officer Rob Sherman has clarified that the app's privacy labels are similar to those of Instagram, receiving whatever information users share in the app.

As the social media landscape continues to evolve, Meta's Threads is poised to become a significant player, offering users a unique alternative to Twitter. With its growing user base and ongoing development, Threads is an important platform to watch in the coming months.