We signed up for Threads so we could give you a breakdown of the user experience and offer our community some concise guidance on this new platform. Since we’ve been researching text-based “Twitter alternatives” for our clients, we thought we’d provide some additional information on the other platforms we’ve tested as well. Keep in mind this list is not exhaustive. We are a small team and can only be in a few (virtual) places at once!
Why do we need a Twitter alternative?
Since Elon Musk bought Twitter in October of 2022, he has made bizarre management choices under the guise of “free speech.” Professional creators, brands, and casual users have been trying to sort through the many platforms that have emerged to take its place. Many are still wondering if Twitter will ever return to being a usable online community space again. It seems unlikely at this point in its transformation.
Sure, some users are comfortable with Musk’s drastic changes to the popular platform but since you’re here, reading a blog post from our worker-owned co-op dedicated to uplifting the voices of marginalized folks–you’re probably not pleased by scrolling through the violent rhetoric, gore, and cryptofash content, either. Many daily users have left the site completely because their timelines were filled with exactly this type of content because the algorithm now prioritizes verified accounts. Anyone can now pay to be “verified” making verification ultimately meaningless (something Meta has copied, unfortunately). We won’t go on about the many problems with Twitter here because you’re likely already aware but in case you’re not familiar with the platform, it is not at all what it used to be to say the least.
We tried out Mastodon, which actually existed well before an alternative to Twitter was needed but many regular Twitter users hopped onto the platform as Elon took over.
Unfortunately, it is confusing to sign up for and operate for the casual user. The vibe on each server is different but there is a general overarching vibe (at least we think so from what we observed in our months testing it out) that is very different from Twitter overall. It doesn’t have a town-square feel, more like a walled garden with few familiar faces dropping by on our feed.
Of course, there is no universal vibe on Twitter and it was easy for anyone to get on and tweet–that’s what made the site so useful initially. It was not difficult to find your people and see hard news in real time from verified reporters. Black Twitter is a great example. Mastodon, from our experience, doesn’t have the same capability for stories to go viral, making direct action harder to organize and connections harder to establish. Folks from Black Twitter have publicly spoken about racism on Mastodon and feeling unwelcome in the space. Your mileage may vary and there are specific servers that have been created for different communities but the general confusion on how to choose and move servers makes this inconsequential to users who aren’t tech savvy. DMs are also not private on Mastodon which is an important feature we missed.
Bluesky is technically still in Beta and can only be joined by invite only. Potential users must be invited by someone who has an account there already or by someone on their staff. We’ve been using Bluesky for a while and found it very similar to Twitter functionally! There are some bots and a lot of tech-speak on the Skyline (as invites initially went out, this was the community that received them) but the bots we’ve observed on Bluesky seem to be more for entertainment or users’ convenience, which is a step up from Twitter where our replies were often filled with phishing bots.
Unfortunately, at the time of this blog post Bluesky is having a serious trust and safety crisis. Accounts have been created with blatant slurs being used for handles. To add to this oversight in moderation, the development team was completely silent for days as users who have built followings there, many of whom are BIPOC or trans, were left wondering what is going on and if their safety mattered. The Bluesky team did start giving updates once the news of their shortcomings made it to LinkedIn.
We understand that these platforms are limited. We understand Bluesky was not created by our friends or comrades but there seems to be a lack of accountability from the CEO which is disappointing considering that we spend time developing content to speak to our audience there.
Clearly we cannot recommend Bluesky to our clients at this time. There are also no direct messages or hashtag functionality at this time–essential features if you ask us.
Threads is the newest app purported to be a “Twitter alternative”. Unlike Mastodon and Bluesky, Threads is owned by an existing popular special media platform. One we all already know: Instagram. Well, technically Meta (which owns Instagram now and also owns Facebook) but it is being branded as Instagram’s text-based conversation app. This means that influencers with thousands of followers on Instagram suddenly have almost as many followers on Threads. Keep in mind, most of these folks didn’t build their followings by posting written content like the most valuable accounts who gained popularity on Twitter. The unfortunate reality is that many users who probably wouldn’t have done so well on Twitter have a head start and this impacts the timeline in the ways you might guess. The timeline is littered with uncredited reposts of successful tweets and Instagram influencers we’ve interacted with on Threads are unaware or uninterested in showing solidarity with workers.
On a positive note, if you’ve blocked someone on Instagram, it carries over onto Threads which is convenient if you often have to deal with trolls or targeted harassment.
It is also being reported that 23 million users signed up when Threads first launched–which is true but we have to consider that everyone who signed up for Threads already had an active instagram account and the sign up process took less than a minute. Technically, some folks made Instagram accounts just to get on Threads but this was a tiny fraction of users.
Many of us included in that initial sign up figure did not read the fine print while downloading the Threads app and are learning that we’ve granted Meta access to intimate personal information after the fact. The privacy statement in the app store confirms that by downloading the app we’re agreeing to the harvesting of our personal data including health and financial information, contacts, and our browsing and search history. Threads is also not available to Instagram users in the European Union which is a red flag for the terms and conditions as the EU has strict privacy rules. Their high court ruled that users need to freely give access with informed consent. Meta, in our perspective, is not providing this essential information about data collection in a way that is easy to understand or accessible.
And Meta’s stated reason for collecting all this “sensitive info”? “Legitimate interest.” This sounds too vague for us to recommend Threads to our community of clients but it gets even worse. There is another glaring reason we discovered first hand while trying to leave Threads once we learned about the data collection agreement and it is ultimately why we cannot recommend downloading it if you haven’t already.
Once you’ve downloaded the Threads app, you cannot delete your account without also deleting the Instagram account attached to it. For users who have built large followings on Instagram but no longer want Meta to have the data that Threads grants access to, this poses an obvious problem. One that they seem to be in no hurry to solve. Meta is essential holding our data hostage.
There is a "temporary workaround" according to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram–you can deactivate your Threads account and delete all your posts in the app. This is an unsatisfying solution but without collective pressure and legal action, Meta is unlikely to relinquish the data they’ve collected already for their supposed “legitimate interest.” Whose interest? Billionaires and data brokers? Government institutions? Police? It is unclear how this information will be used and if deactivation results in our data collection ending or not. Meta has been fined for this before after folks deactivated their Facebook accounts so it wouldn’t surprise us if Meta continues to collect deactivated users’ sensitive information.
Consider the implications of this catch 22 for organizations that provide essential services to people seeking healthcare in states where it is outlawed. Consider what this means for everyday casual users who are simply looking for a new place to post their one-liners. Consider what this means for organizers who are already often arrested for false accusations by police. Consider what this means for folks protesting injustice–which is a right in the United States but often results in arrest on bogus charges and in some cases death by police firing squad.
While the Threads app may be a fun place to interact with celebrities in a similar way that Twitter was in the beginning way back when it was first created, you deserve to know what you’re signing up for, what information you’re giving access to, and how that information may be used against your best interest. Meta should not have the right to collect this much of our personal data but users are accepting the terms without informed consent. We don’t mean to be alamist but we believe in being transparent with our observations to protect ourselves, our clients, and the most vulnerable in our communities.
What can we do to push back on these bizarre policies? The short answer is that we’re not sure yet! If you haven’t created a Threads account, we strongly advise against it especially if you work for an organization that deals with the intimate details of marginalized folks who are often disproportionately targeted by police.
If you have tried out a “Twitter Replacement” app we didn’t discuss here, please feel free to let us know about your experience in the comments. The details about Threads’ algorithm and privacy policies are still emerging, if we got anything wrong here, there have been updates since posting, or you have more information about a point we touched on, please let us know in the comments! We are committed to providing accurate information here so we welcome your corrections if you have them. We will likely share updates in our future posts as more information becomes available about these new platforms–especially Bluesky and Threads as we still technically have accounts on both.
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