New platform Threads aims to overshadow Twitter as a ‘friendlier’ – and much livelier – public square.

Since its launch on Wednesday night, over 30mn people are already signed up to Threads, Meta’s new social media platform, giving veracity to its ‘Twitter killer’ nickname.

The new platform, pitched as a ‘friendly’ alternative to Twitter, consists of posted messages of up to 500 characters in length and is accessed via Instagram, Meta’s photo-sharing platform with over 2bn users. Over 45% of UK adults own Instagram accounts, and some say that this has helped Threads come to life and avoid the ‘cold start’ that is typical of new platforms.

Darryl Sparey is managing director at PR and media agency Hard Numbers, and says he is already seeing the app’s appeal for B2B users. “Continued instability at Twitter has created an opportunity for a new platform; recently, Twitter has been overrun by crypto and big-tech fanatics and it’s impossible to filter through inaccurate information.”

Since it was bought by billionaire Elon Musk, Twitter has been embroiled in crises and currently faces bankruptcy and a barrage of disgruntled users. Meanwhile, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has been emphasising the ‘friendliness’ of Threads in comparison. Sparey describes two factors which he believes has made Twitter less attractive to users since Musk’s acquisition: “Firstly, Twitter’s usefulness has been degraded due to a lack of proper verification process; it’s much harder to find verified, quality sources.

“Secondly, Musk’s negligence means content moderation has been essentially gutted: almost no brands want to advertise on there anymore.”

Sparey is optimistic about Threads' potential for businesses: “Utilising Instagram is a genius move by Zuckerberg because now B2B organisations are going to be more active there too; it’s a solution to ‘zombie comms’ and neglected Instagram accounts.

“It will be exciting to see what kind of culture will emerge on the new platform.”

Threads is yet to be launched in the EU due to uncertainty around new regulations, but its community-feel could make the platform an attractive communications hub likely to draw advertisers and brands feeling disenchanted with Twitter.