I’d be surprised if you haven’t already heard of the new social media dominating the last few days.
Threads.
And I don’t know, maybe it’s a little too early to be claiming this — but I love Threads. Or at least the potential of what it could be.
The Problem With Other Social Medias
There’s the Big Three that always have their foot in something. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (which pretty much beat up Twitter and took their spot). But all three platforms have a dark cloud hanging over them.
Facebook is old and hasn’t had any good updates. It’s straight forward; you add all your friends and they get to peek into what you do when you’re not at work or hanging out with them. It keeps family members in contact, even when they live half-way across the world. All-in-all, it’s a great way to keep in touch with people in your personal life, but not much more.
Instagram was once a great place to get lost in — until reels took over and every post included dancing, singing, or some wacky way to grab views. Instead of pictures and art, it became creators trying to grab attention to sell you something.
TikTok is walking a fine line and some still call for its ban (which, I’m kinda for). It seems like the intelligence of the general population has been beat down into a repetative, 5-second mashup of nonsense. I can only speculate that the effects of the short videos are not healthy for our brains.
Threads Is For Writers — Even If That Wasn’t The Intention
This new app is called a rival to Twitter, but I think it’s better than what Twitter was. Of course, I’ve never Tweeted, so I’m not sure what the culture was like when it first began. I only see how washed-out the app has become after all the controversies and new ownership.
I always viewed Twitter as kind of a bridge; a news stand that posted links to various articles. Publishers with things to say, but not a lot of substance. Or on the other side; short quips from celebrities who have nothing better to do with their lives, except battle for attention in a few words.
Threads feels like a breath of fresh air; somewhere between what Facebook is and what Twitter might have been.
It’s A Blessing & A Curse — Pick Your Poision
The reality is that social media can be a black hole. It’s only a matter of time before something hits Threads to change its course (I’ve already begun muting the ones posting reels — I want the magick to exist as long as possible). Although Threads holds promise, it wouldn’t be surprising to eventually see it full of ads or a flood of content you’d see on the other platforms.
How I Plan to Use Threads
No matter what happens though, I’m going to take advantage of the opportunity. The community on Threads is full of writers and it’s easier than ever to have conversations and meet new people. Like a coffee shop in the digital world. It has connected me to writers more easily than other platforms (in just 7 days) because it allows for closer interaction.
When I think about ‘threads’, it makes me think of old-fashioned, online forums. You’d have to scroll through 25 pages of replies just to see what was said. There was an atmosphere of curiosity and wanting to know what other people had to say. It wasn’t overtaken by the visual arts (no matter how great they are), just conversation.
So on my Threads page, you’ll see little bits of writing — links to posts and hopefully a more personal side of who I am as a writer.
