Meta's Threads: A Controversial Alternative to Twitter
Twitter is a shadow of its former self, and now Meta has swooped in to take over the social network with their new platform Threads. As a long-time Twitter user, witnessing the decline of the platform and Meta's takeover is disheartening. Twitter's failure to protect its users from toxic content and its exploitation for political purposes has led to its downfall. Recent incidents, such as the ban on conservative voices and mass account suspensions, have only added to the platform's woes.
Now, Meta has launched Threads, a Twitter lookalike that allows users to log in with their Instagram accounts. Positioning itself as an improved version of Twitter, Threads has quickly gained popularity as the most accessible alternative.
However, there are several reasons why I dislike and distrust Meta's Threads:
1. Privacy concerns
Threads collects sensitive information and links it to your identity, which has raised concerns about privacy. In fact, the app's data collection practices are so problematic that it cannot legally launch in the EU. Meta is known for profiting off user tracking and profiling, similar to its Reels algorithm on Twitter that serves tweets out of order from people you don't follow. This raises concerns about data mining and the inconvenience of deleting a Threads account, as it requires deleting your entire Instagram account.
If privacy is important to you on Instagram, integrating Threads is a nightmare, as opting out means giving up your Instagram account.
2. Keeping you scrolling
In Meta's ecosystem, users are the product, not the audience. Threads is designed to keep you scrolling and feeding into Meta's attention economy. The app uses an algorithm that serves you tweets out of order from people you don't follow, similar to Twitter's design. This algorithm aims to show you more relevant content and ads, but it also exposes you to political content, conspiracy theories, and clickbait.
3. Competing with Twitter
Despite its flaws, Threads has become the most accessible option for communication online, as competitors like Bluesky and Cohost failed to gain traction. The lack of simple alternatives leaves millions of suspended Twitter users with no viable options.
4. Algorithm
Threads' algorithm, reminiscent of Reels, serves users tweets out of order from people they don't follow. This can be problematic, as it may expose users to conspiracy theories, clickbait, and unverifiable content.
5. Meta's past
Given Meta's track record, I have reservations about the safety of using Threads. The company has been fined $1.2 million by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for collecting personal information from children without parental consent. Additionally, Meta settled with the FTC in 2014 for collecting personal user information without proper disclosure.
