Threads works because Meta already has a pre-built network effect. No one else can create a network of users instantly. Organically growing social media is borderline impossible these days. The only successful example is TikTok and they created an entirely new platform and product that no other incumbent had. But to create a product that mirrors an existing social media product and expect rapid growth is a foolish expectation. Right now, Threads is the only possible replacement. They just need to hurry up and get to feature parity with Twitter. They have all the ad-tech infrastructure to monetize it as well. This is a slam dunk for Meta if they execute correctly.
Like I said, I wouldn't underestimate Meta. That said, what Spill is doing is the right approach when you look at product launch best practices.
Sorry I'm late to the party. Has anyone mentioned yet that rebranding Twitter is just about the stupidest thing Musk has ever done in his life? Reminiscent of when Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and papers resorted to calling him the artist formerly known as Prince. Except the Twitter brand is worth 1000 times as much as the Prince brand.
Social media in itself is reaching peak saturation. Twitter was eventually going to be acquired, sooner than later. The core behind all of these social media platforms are simplistic in nature to develop. Its the network effect that matters. In social media, its the users data sold to advertisers. The primary reason why Threads is separate from instagram is the same problem Musk faced when acquiring Twitter; the coding was archaic and convoluted to the point where development was difficult. Meta simply created a whole new platform and expected all of its users to create a new account for the sake of quick deployment. In other words, they tried to create a whole new network starting from zero. Laughably stupid if one understands network effects. Tweets/Xeets/posts (like this site) has very little value. Its only value is to inject ads (which is not a good long term solution). However, if complemented with a much larger platform, the user content serves as advertisement for the core platform. This is what made Twitter successful from the start. A person can inject a users message on almost any media platform. This is where the 'everything app' comes into play. Whether one thinks this is a good or bad play is not that important. What we can gather is that people are getting inundated with massive amounts of apps and security management. (this is a whole different conversation). Network effects is what matters and current networks are reaching max efficiency. This is a good article on network effects. (yes, this one is about bitcoin, but its the premise that matters. https://www.lynalden.com/bitcoins-network-effect/ This is why I agree with Musks approach.
X.com has always been his dream project back when he acquired it in 1999. He simply bought billions of users to migrate them to x.com. That has always been his intent. As I mentioned before, Twitter was a dead platform walking surviving on cheap capital of the 2010's. He probably FOMO'ed at 40 billion, but once blood is in the water and Twitter was for sale, he would then have to compete with Meta or Apple or Google.
Threads don’t have new users per se. You must have an Instagram account to create a Thread profile (pretty automated) and then use the Thread app. So, you either already have an Instagram account or must create one to use Thread. This is why it gained a record number of users within a few days. Thread benefits from the existing 1B+ Instagram user base and the network of Instagram.
Wow. About a decade ago, Tesla rigged the dashboard readouts in its electric cars to provide “rosy” projections of how far owners can drive before needing to recharge, a source told Reuters. The automaker last year became so inundated with driving-range complaints that it created a special team to cancel owners’ service appointments. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range/
What I am stating is that the platform itself is a completely different platform and it isn't integrated into any other meta platforms. Threads is doing nothing different than when I sign up for a site and it asks if I want to use my google credentials to establish my account using a one-click option. Instagram is simply migrating the Instagram creditials/security module to the Threads platform for easy establishment. Its pretty dumb hence why the platform reached peak capacity in days and immediately dropped off.
Making an everything app might be a good idea. It's a gamble but I at least see the appeal. I don't see how dumping all that brand equity for an unknown (and frankly poorly conceived) brand gets him any closer. I kinda hate Elon Musk but I'm not a hater -- I think he's a pretty gifted entrepreneur and businessman and I'm not one to just throw shade at everything he does. And it could be that he's just much smarter and better at this than I am. But I'm just not buying it this time. X might survive it, but I think this is a massive blunder.
Network effect can also work in reverse, and sooner than you know it Twitter can collapse. Musk needs to be careful here. Everything app already exists - or an everything tool - it's called a smartphone.
Gotta juice those numbers…. Elon and his conservatives buddies don’t really care about the kids…. Elon Musk Welcomes Child Sex Abuse Imagery Poster Back to Twitter https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgwa7z/twitter-elon-musk-dom-lucre-child-sexual-abuse
The problem as I see it is that they released it prematurely (it is missing some key basic features, such as search, only shows threads from followers, and lacks a desktop version). Additionally, they didn’t expect such a rush of signups and have not rolled out the missing features fast enough. I doubt it being part of existing platform would changes time spent on it with the same missing features. For me, lack of a desktop version and followers is a huge issue. But then I’m not the typical Twitter or Thread users - I’m rarely on those platform. They are both missing a key feature I desire - local emergency notification.
but at the same time, he is leveraging existing branding … spaceX xAI and uh, well he should consider changing Tesla to xCar or carX Uh, never mind
