Instagram launches Threads, a very minimalist, decentralized social network that will not be available in Spain for now

As we took for granted, Threads had its great international premiere today… although for now it will not reach the European Union for privacy reasons. Meta’s new social network is now official, and with its launch for Web, iOS and Android we can already know all its details. On the other hand, they are fewer than it seems, because at least Threads launch is going to be a surprisingly minimalist social network.

Designed to compete more or less directly with Twitter, Threads transfers the data of Instagram users to create a new account with the same handle user (in fact, it is accessed with the same credentials), but it works independently. It has the classic buttons to express that the user likes something and recirculate the content in their network of contacts. Also like Twitter, it defines limits when it comes to content size: 500 characters and up to 5 minutes of video.

An interesting detail of Threads is that the user has the option to filter the content that appears on their timeline. The application’s controls allow you to limit the people who respond to messages, as well as establish a series of labels (such as “spoilers” or “NSFW”) that will automatically disappear from your screen. What it does not have, curiously, is hashtagsand it is not clear that they will appear later.

Another important limitation is the absence of private messages, encrypted or of any other type. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, has granted an interesting interview to The Verge where he points out that he sees no need to use private messages. “I think people have a little fatigue […] We have a lot of inboxes,” he said. That Meta doesn’t want to keep another messaging app isn’t surprising, but Mosseri himself says he can’t talk about what will happen in the future, and who knows? the ramifications that could develop as a consequence of the new Digital Markets Law.

What has been confirmed is that Threads will incorporate compatibility with the ActivityPub protocol, the basis of Mastodon. The idea is to create a decentralized application that allows the migration of users and also the management of multiple profiles in social networks in a simpler way. In theory, it would also allow content from other servers to be displayed, although for now only messages from the Threads server are displayed. There is currently no release date for this feature, which could certainly make a major difference to Twitter.

Regarding its availability in the European Union, Mosseri affirms that it is in his plans. However, “the complexities of complying with some of the laws that will come into force next year are significant. We don’t want to launch anything that is not going to be forward compatible with what we think will come,” he assured The Verge. “[…] it breaks my heart. But this is going to take a while.”