Clash of the titans: Mark Zuckerberg's new social network Threads versus Elon Musk's Twitter

Social media has become an inseparable part of everyday life. It serves as a space for exchanging information, a place to talk, a platform for business and even a means of influencing public opinion. Today we stand on the threshold of a new stage in the development of social media, and the whole world is watching it.

At the centre of attention — two giants, two titans of the digital world. On one side, Twitter — the long-recognised microblogging service loved by many, which has recently run into some difficulties. On the other, Threads — a new project from Mark Zuckerberg that has already attracted the attention of millions of users around the world.

In this article we try to make sense of the details of this «IT clash of the century». We examine what sets each platform apart, compare their functionality and development strategies, and try to predict the prospects of each.

Table of contents:

• Twitter: the basics about the social network
• What is Threads?
• Twitter in 2023
• A comparison of Threads and Twitter
• The reasons behind the «war» between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg
• Threads and Twitter as platforms for promoting a business

Twitter: the basics about the social network

Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022, the world's media have been busy speculating about the platform's fate. To get a full picture of Twitter's current position, however, various metrics and indicators have to be examined.

The last Twitter investor update, which focused on activity on the platform between April and June 2022, showed that the company had 237.8 million «monetisable daily active users» (mDAUs) by the middle of last year. That figure was 3.8% higher than the 229 million the company had published just 3 months earlier in its Q1 2022 investor update.

Data from a single quarter is not a reliable basis for forecasting the future. During the three years before Musk's acquisition, the data published in Twitter's earnings reports showed average quarterly mDAU growth of about 4.5%. If we focus on the recent, «stable» period (that is, from Q4 2020 to Q2 2022), we get an average quarterly growth figure of 3.5%.

In a hypothetical scenario where Twitter's global user base kept growing at roughly the same rate after Musk's acquisition, we could expect Twitter to have somewhere around 255 million daily active users today. Musk himself, however, reported that Twitter's users had already reached 250 million by November 2022.

Elon Musk has said that he does not like how advertising affects the experience of using Twitter. It is unlikely, however, that Musk will be able to abandon advertising on the platform entirely any time soon — even for paid subscriptions. In the context of Twitter's last earnings announcement for investors in July 2022, it emerged that more than 90 percent of the company's revenue came from advertising.

In the absence of official statements from Twitter about these recent changes, it is unclear whether Twitter will update these figures again in the days after this report is published. Given that the «corrected»  figures described above were published in Twitter's own «official» sources, however, it seems logical to assume that they were officially approved by Twitter's advertising team at some particular moment.

As a result, any subsequent changes will differ from the regular adjustments we see in Meta's advertising reach estimates. The correct conclusion here, then, is that Twitter's declared advertising reach has fallen significantly over the past three months.

What is Threads?

Threads — is a new app built by the Instagram team for exchanging text messages and taking part in public conversations.

Threads was created to extend the capabilities of Instagram, which people all over the world use to communicate with photos and video, into a text format. As on Instagram, in Threads you can follow the news and talk to friends and other users, including the people you follow on Instagram. You can also use the existing set of safety and user control tools.

Threads offers a simple way to start: just use your Instagram account to sign in. Your Instagram username and verification are carried over, with the option of customising your profile specifically for Threads. The Threads feed includes threads published by the people you follow along with recommended content from other users. Posts can be up to 500 characters long and include links, photos and videos up to 5 minutes long. You can easily share a Threads post in your Instagram story or share it as a link on any other platform you choose.

You will be able to control who can mention you or reply to you in Threads. As on Instagram, you can add hidden words to filter replies to your threads that contain particular words. You can unfollow, block, restrict or report a profile in Threads by tapping the three-dot menu, and any accounts you have blocked on Instagram are automatically blocked in Threads.

In the near future Threads is planned to become compatible with ActivityPub, the open social networking protocol established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the body responsible for the open standards that make the modern web work. That will make Threads compatible with other apps that also support the ActivityPub protocol, in particular Mastodon and WordPress. Other platforms, including Tumblr, have shared plans to support the ActivityPub protocol in future.

Threads is already available in more than 100 countries for iOS and Android, and people in those countries can download the app from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Besides work on making Threads compatible with the ActivityPub protocol, new features will be added soon,   including  improved feed recommendations and a more powerful search function, which will make it easier to follow topics and trends in real time.

In the first five days after launch Threads attracted more than 100 million users, which says a great deal about its potential and its appeal to audiences.

Twitter in 2023

Twitter — is one of the most popular social networks in the world. According to a Datareportal report, as of April 2023 Twitter had around 330 million monthly active users and revenue of approximately 3.72 billion dollars.

After the acquisition by Elon Musk at the end of 2022, however, Twitter went through a series of changes. Musk made a number of changes to the platform's functionality and design, including new features such as Twitter Spaces and Super Follows. Those changes drew mixed reviews from users.

Twitter also ran into a number of problems in 2023. In particular, falling traffic and declining advertising sales. According to TechCrunch, Twitter also faced problems connected with data leaks and system manipulation, which led to a temporary limit on the number of posts users can view in a day. That caused numerous complaints from users and led to lower activity on the platform.

In July 2023 Twitter introduced a temporary limit on the number of posts users can view per day, citing «extreme levels of data scraping»  and «system manipulation». The limit meant that thousands of users had problems accessing Twitter.

Overall, Twitter faced a number of challenges in 2023 that may affect its ability to compete with new social platforms such as Threads.

A comparison of Threads and Twitter

Twitter and Threads — are two social platforms which, although they have much in common, differ in a number of ways. Here are some of them:

• Character limit: Twitter limits a single tweet to 280 characters, while Threads lets users write posts of up to 500 characters.
• Creating an account: creating an account in Threads requires an Instagram account, while Twitter lets users register directly.
• Trends: Twitter is known for its trends, which let users find out about the most topical news and events. Threads does not yet offer similar functionality.
• Following list: Threads has no visible list of accounts followed on a user's profile, while Twitter provides two separate lists for following and followers.
• Deleting an account: if a user wants to delete their Threads account, they also have to delete their Instagram account. Twitter lets users deactivate or delete their accounts easily.
• Retweets and reposts: on Twitter you can retweet, and in Threads — repost. The functionality of those actions is practically identical.
• Username rights: in Threads the username is tied to the Instagram account and cannot be changed separately. Twitter has no such link.
• Safety and privacy: Threads and Twitter both offer a «hidden words» feature that lets users hide comments and replies containing particular words.
• Search scope: on Twitter you can search for accounts, hashtags and tweets, while in Threads you can so far search only for accounts.
• Video limit: Threads lets you upload videos of up to 5 minutes, while Twitter limits video to 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
• The blue badge: if you are verified on Instagram you are automatically verified in Threads at no extra cost. On Twitter verification requires a separate procedure.
• Draft posts: Twitter offers a drafts feature that lets users save unfinished tweets for later editing. Threads does not yet have that feature.
• Availability: Twitter can be used on any device, while Threads is available only on smartphones and tablets.
• Messages: Twitter offers direct messages for talking to followers, while Threads does not yet have that feature. Communication is only possible through comments.

Overall, although Threads and Twitter have much in common, they offer different features and capabilities that may appeal to different audiences.

The reasons behind the «war» between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg

The quarrel between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg began several years ago and has only sharpened since, turning into a series of public insults and mockery. Below are some key moments in that feud.

The SpaceX explosion

In September 2016 the cooperation between the two billionaires ended literally in an explosion, when a Facebook satellite worth 200 million dollars blew up during a pre-launch test on Musk's SpaceX rocket. After the incident Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook that he was «deeply disappointed»  that «SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite».

Disagreements about artificial intelligence

Zuckerberg and Musk hold opposing views on artificial intelligence. Musk is known for his pessimistic view of AI, believing that the technology «has the potential to destroy civilisation». Zuckerberg, by contrast, sees more opportunity than threat in AI. That led to an exchange of barbs on social media, where Musk said that Zuckerberg's understanding of AI was «limited».

Deleting Facebook

In 2018, during the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Musk joined the #DeleteFacebook movement and deleted the official SpaceX and Tesla pages on Facebook, saying that the Tesla page «looks lame». Musk has never restored the deleted Facebook accounts.

Buying Twitter

In 2023 Musk acquired Twitter, which sharpened relations between the two billionaires further. Musk repeatedly criticised Facebook in his tweets, and Zuckerberg responded by launching the new social network Threads, which became a direct competitor to Twitter.

The cage fight offer

In response to rumours about the launch of Threads, Musk proposed a fight with Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg apparently took the challenge seriously and published a screenshot of Musk's tweet with the caption «send me location». Musk replied: «Vegas Octagon», which belongs to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Legal disputes

The feud between the two billionaires may grow into a lawsuit, as Musk accuses Threads of copying Twitter and has sent a cease-and-desist letter claiming that Meta hired former Twitter employees who used confidential information to build Threads.

Overall, the feud between Musk and Zuckerberg has become one of the most discussed topics in the technology world, and it does not look like dying down any time soon.

Threads and Twitter as platforms for promoting a business

The war between Threads and Twitter — is not merely a fight between two technology giants but a real opportunity for businesses that use social media to promote their products and services. Depending on how the fight ends, marketing strategies may change substantially.

As a new player in the market, Threads is already showing encouraging results. With more than 100 million sign-ups in the first five days, Threads promises to become a powerful platform for engaging with an audience. Because Threads is still at an early stage of development, however, business owners should watch its growth closely and adapt their strategies as the platform changes.

Twitter, on the other hand, is an established platform with a large, active audience. Despite some problems, such as falling traffic and advertising sales, Twitter remains an important tool for businesses. With Musk's arrival as CEO, however, Twitter went through a series of changes, and businesses should take those changes into account when planning their strategies.

Overall, both Threads and Twitter have their advantages and drawbacks. The choice between them depends on the specifics of the business, the target audience and the marketing goals. In any case, it is important to stay on top of the latest trends and changes on both platforms in order to use them as effectively as possible for promoting a business.