Photo by mundissima / Shutterstock.com
Elon Musk’s Twitter may soon have a rival as Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is working on building a Twitter competitor of its own. Currently, the company is calling this Project 92 and may release the platform as Threads.
The Verge had the privilege of watching the preview and sharing screenshots of this new app.
The forthcoming standalone application is set to be built upon the foundation of Instagram and will seamlessly integrate with ActivityPub, a decentralised social media protocol. This integration will enable users to transfer their accounts and followers to other platforms supporting ActivityPub, such as Mastodon.
During the meeting, Chris Cox, Meta’s chief product officer, revealed that the codename for the app is Project 92, and it may be publically known as Threads. Describing the app as “our response to Twitter”, Cox highlighted using Instagram’s account system to automatically populate user information, making the transition smoother for users.
The primary focus of Meta’s Twitter alternative is to establish a trustworthy and reliable platform for creators and public figures. Cox emphasised the company’s commitment to ensuring safety, ease of use and reliability, providing creators with a stable environment to build and expand their audiences.
“We’ve been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run, that they believe that they can trust and rely upon for distribution,” Cox said as a subtle jab at Elon Musk’s handling of Twitter.
Cox also revealed that Meta has already secured commitments from prominent celebrities like DJ Slime and is in talks with other notable figures, including Oprah Winfrey and Dalai Lama.
The development of the app began in January, and Meta aims to make it available as soon as possible. The company is dedicated to creating a compelling alternative to existing social media platforms, delivering a refreshing experience that meets the evolving need of creators and users alike.
Yesterday, Meta-owned Whatsapp released Channels, a one-to-many broadcast feature sharing many similar functionalities of Twitter.
In the News: Adobe announces Firefly for Enterprise with legal support
