All the Reasons You Might Not Want to Join Threads
There are over 100 million users and counting. But if you’re not already participating in Threads, you probably have your own reasons for doing so – or you’re waiting to really consider whether joining Threads is right for you. Alternatives to Twitter come in many shapes and forms, and this one is basically Instagram with a Twitter skin.
Here are some of the most important reasons why you might not want to join Threads.
Threads has a privacy policy for each meta app.
Just because Twitter is a shitty show doesn’t make the Meta any less evil. Topics may look like Twitter and are easy to join, but it’s worth remembering that this is a meta app. And while Threads is now ad-free, data collection rules still apply.
Compared to alternatives like Bluesky and Mastodon, Threads collects a hell of a lot of data. If you’re on the latest version of Android, you can disable access to some data, but Threads will still collect things like your purchase history, browsing history, your unique user-identifying information, and store it all on its servers for advertising purposes. on their platforms. Ars Technica has compiled a complete list of all the data that Threads collects.
It is also important to note that its data, which, according to the descriptions in the App Store, ” may ” be associated with you. Installing Threads won’t necessarily give it access to your health data, purchase history, or locations, but if you end up sharing that information through the Threads app, Meta can use it to link that information to you. So if you use the Threads app, be careful about what access you give it and what data you share on the platform.
It’s algorithms, all down
As it stands, Threads does not have a subscription. When you first open the app, even after following a lot of people, it will give you its algorithm and show you “popular” or “interesting” messages, not messages from the people you follow. And because Threads is so new, the algorithmic presentation isn’t all that great.
There are also still no hashtags, so you can’t see or follow trends, nor can you search within the app. When you update a feed, it serves up more algorithm content.
Threads is a silo with no meaningful connection
When you use a social network like Twitter or Mastodon, you feel connected to the internet. Surprisingly, Threads represents even more isolation than Instagram, which by itself is not the best citizen of the open web.
The only way to use Threads is to use its iPhone or Android app. You can’t easily find links to Threads user profiles, and you can’t embed Threads posts online (you can just share the URL). All you can do on the Threads desktop site is find a link to download the app.
The Threads app itself was released quickly and lacks basic features like GIFs and emoji. The media alt text is AI generated and there is no way to manually edit it, add more context, or fix something the AI did wrong. And, as I mentioned, there is no follower feed, hashtags, or trending topics.
Threads are not a place for news, politics or anything interesting.
In an interview with The Verge , Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, stated that Threads “is not going to do anything to encourage” politics and “hard news”. And after spending a couple of days in Threads, it seems to be true: Threads is not a place to discuss or find interesting or unique stories. Topics can be a more civilized place to discuss and you won’t run into as many extremist trolls, but if you want to participate in smaller sub-communities you probably won’t find them.
You can’t escape the influence
It’s more of a “feel” than anything tangible, but since the app isn’t focused on news, politics, real-time updates, or promoting communities, the result is an Instagram text app. And there’s nothing wrong with that (of course the app works well enough), but if that’s not what you’re looking for, you should know. You can’t avoid brands and influencers in your feed, no matter how many times you update or how many “real people” you follow. Dance videos, influencer content, and the same washed up memes will be at the top of your feed.
You can leave any time you want, but you can never leave
At this time, you cannot delete your Threads account without destroying your Instagram account. You can deactivate your Threads account, but that’s basically it . This means that all of your personal data and messages will continue to be stored on Meta’s servers, ready to be indexed and used to serve ads to you. And if you don’t want all this data to be stored on the Meta servers, you will also have to delete your Instagram account. But then again, if you were so concerned about your privacy, you wouldn’t be using meta apps at all, would you?