Now Trending: Twitter, X and Threads Updates You Need To Know

Have you felt a shift in cyberspace? Change is in the air. While social media has always been fluid, its rapid evolution has kicked into overdrive. World-famous platforms ditched iconic branding. Competitors are rising to meet the moment. There is a new battle for Twitter’s once iron-gripped throne as Meta stakes their claim, and TRIO is here to catch you up on all the latest…as of Aug. 9, 2023, at least.

*This is our third full rewrite before publishing. There’s no telling when Elon’s next 3 a.m. tweet (post?) will upend this whole thing! ????

“X” Marks the Spot

The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter, “X” is the latest step in Elon Musk’s overhaul. Since its October 2022 acquisition, Twitter has received functional updates, including expanded character counts (140 to 280), account upgrades, exclusive features (see Twitter Blue, now X Premium) and more. 

However, this new rebrand is about more than cosmetics. It could kickstart a full reimagining of the Twitter/X experience. 

The X Overview

While X may feel like an all-new app, this is currently (mostly) only in name. X’s basic features remain relatively the same and include the following:

• 280-character limit
• Like, shares, posts, reposts and quote posts
• Suggested content feed (For You) and followed account feed (Following)
• Text, image and video content
• Advertising support
• Etc.

Why Twitter’s Branding Flew the Coop 

When Musk first addressed his new team, he laid out his grand plan. He envisioned Twitter as more than a marketplace for conversation. He sought to create a super app – an everything app – similar to China’s multimedia champion, WhatsApp.

In the following months, Musk has restructured Twitter/X’s revenue streams. Focus shifted from ad preference to user subscriptions. While profits may not have been following these changes, Musk seemed intent on pursuing his vision. But since relinquishing CEO-hood to Linda Yaccarino, X is upping its ad game again with her expertise as the previous advertising chair for NBCUniversal. 

But why X? Why bid adieu to the iconic blue bird and replace lingo like “Tweets” and “Retweets” with standard “Posts” and “Reposts?” It’s hard to say, tbh. It seems partially due to some fascination Musk has with the letter itself – X.com (his previous attempt at a finance website), SpaceX (his space and aeronautics company), X Æ A-Xii (his child’s name). 

While we can speculate, it’s better to take it from the CEO himself: “The Twitter name made sense when it was just 140-character messages going back and forth – like birds tweeting – but now you can post almost anything, including several hours of video.” 

“In the months to come, we will add comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world,” Musk said. “The Twitter name does not make sense in that context.”

Unraveling “Threads”

Developed by Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Threads is the latest competitor forged by X’s ongoing evolution. Rather than starting from scratch, Threads borrows from Instagram’s existing policies and functions. 

For starters, you MUST have an Instagram account to join Threads. This may sound odd, but the interconnectivity of the two platforms is the basis for Threads’ functionality. Once joined, you can automatically follow all your followed IG accounts (or carry over blocked users). 

The new app also uses Instagram’s accessibility features, like screen reader support, AI-generated image descriptions and more. Threads can also be shared to your Instagram story with a few simple clicks.

This app has been positioned by some as the “Twitter Killer.” While we agree this may sound a little extreme at first – after all, it only launched a few weeks ago at the time of writing this – Threads did enjoy an incredible debut.

The Threads Overview

At its core, this new platform feels fairly similar to X. Thread’s basic user features include the following:

• 500-character limit
• Like, shares, posts, reposts and quote posts
• Followed account content feed (No suggested content feed…yet)
• Text, image and video content
• NO Advertising support

“The Twitter Killer”

Launching on July 5, 2023, in 100 countries, the new “text-based conversation app” did numbers within its first week. In just five days, Threads surpassed ChatGPT to become the fastest app to reach 100 million sign-ups, with 95 million posts and 190 million likes recorded in its first 24 hours. 

These numbers seem staggering initially, but word is still out on whether this new social competitor is merely a sprinter or a true long-distance runner. While Threads’ early moments were remarkable, user activity has dropped off significantly in the following weeks. 

The reason is still TBD, as its possible activity may pick back up as the new app continues to develop. But why have the birds flocked over to Threads? Why have some former tweeters settled down in this new nest? It may be due to Mark Zuckerberg’s long-term vision.

While Musk purchased Twitter to preserve “free speech,” Zuckerburg launched Threads to “enable positive, productive conversations,” offering enhanced privacy and content filtering capabilities. 

Emphasize Strategy In Your Social Media 

Whichever platform you prefer, it is important to note that there is no correct moral choice. A platform’s vision and its user’s intent are not one and the same. The only “correct” choice you can make is an informed and strategic decision based on which will best serve your brand.

Book Your Social Media Strategy Call Today

With so many platforms, it can be hard to choose what’s best for your brand. TRIO is ready to help you narrow your options to get the most from your posts. Our team is available to chat about these changes and how you can capitalize on change. Contact us today to schedule a 30-minute consultation with our social media specialist.