By
Bhushan Akolkar
April 25th, 2024
Facebook has finally gotten a partner app for Instagram dubbed ‘Threads’. This may be the app that will be the Snapchat killer. The question though is which direction is Facebook going in?
Facebook (FB) is said to be developing a new application which is meant to be attached to Instagram. The new application called ‘Threads’ is meant to enable users to be able to use the basic features and tools that the Instagram has to offer to be able to communicate updates to the closest associates of the users.
The kinds of information to be shared with friends include location, speed, the battery life besides regular updates via text, pictures, and videos which are a core part of the Instagram end-user experience.
This isn’t Mark Zuckerberg’s First Attempt to Spice up the Instagram
Direct which was an app that was created in 2017 and had reached beta testing was closed down this year. Reports indicate that users were “frustrated about switching between applications” as reported by the Verge, which further went on to say:
“The app launched directly into its camera, complete with plenty of Snapchat-style filters, but you could also swipe down from the top of the screen to type messages to your Instagram contacts. Direct was the second time Instagram borrowed an idea from Snapchat; it also launched a Stories feature of its own in 2016 that’s since grown into a major part of its platform.”
This, of course, shows the direction that Mark Zuckerberg and the brilliant guys at Facebook headquarters have been trying to go in for quite a while now.
Why Threads May Actually Succeed
Following the earlier failures to create a side app for Instagram, threads actually seems to be headed in the right direction. With platforms such as Snapchat (SNAP) making inroads with Facebook Inc’s userbase, the social media giant will just have to adapt to the private messaging and direct messaging trends that are currently sweeping the social media industry.
And they may have also caught wind of this. Mark Zuckerberg has already described private messaging as the future of Facebook (FB). In 32,000 words, he had already shown which way he wanted the company to go.
The One App to Rule them All
Facebook (FB) for some time now has been trying to merge all its social media platforms under one Umbrella.
In January this year, Facebook (FB) had announced that it was creating a common protocol for all its platforms. This will allow users to be able to switch seamlessly from one platform to another without having to move between applications.
This is supposed to link Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp, and Instagram together. This is quite possible today with significant advances in artificial intelligence, deep learning, and big data. By 2020, the company plans to achieve this commonality. This may actually create problems in terms of privacy. Many Privacy buffs have already started talking about this.
For the time being, we can see that the Wizard of Menlo Park has earned his stripes. He may just pull a stunt or two. He need not be written off, at least not yet.
As of the time of writing this article, Facebook’s (FB) combined stock price was at an opening price of $186.78 while Snapchat (SNAP) made $15.93.