Mumbai: The Threads-Twitter combat doesn’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. Since 5 July, netizens had gone into a frenzy – everyone was seemingly downloading Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads frantically. A lot has brewed over the past few days from Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatening to sue Zuckerberg for hiring Twitter’s ex-employees and trying to gain the social media giant’s trade secrets, Threads surpassing ChatGPT’s 100 million users within five days of its launch, to being touted as a ‘copy-cat’ of Twitter. Also, a matter of concern for many Threads’ users is that of not being able to delete their Threads account without deleting their Instagram account.

Indiantelevision.com spoke to digital mavens to find out what this war between the two social media giants entails and who is likely to win this battle.

The ongoing tussle

White Rivers Media co-founder and CEO Shrenik Gandhi understands that both of these are prominent tech giants with immense growth potential in the social media landscape. “The success of any social platform hinges on several key factors, including effective strategies, user experience, feature offerings, and adaptability to evolving user preferences. With the rollout of Threads by Meta, the company benefits from its integration with Instagram, which already boasts a massive user base and abundant resources. This advantage allows Threads to hit the ground running and attract a wide audience. Furthermore, Threads will be a free service without limitations, making it an enticing option for users.”

Grapes co-founder & CEO Shradha Agarwal acknowledges the fact that threads witnessed an overwhelming response from the moment it was rolled out in the market. “Even India joined the league and registered the maximum number of Threads downloads across the globe. But we can’t ignore the fall of the Twitter base in India, which is down to 25 million. Twitter and Threads are the same thing, differing on a few aspects like word limit, which is not a significant difference.”

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She added, “We are already struggling to handle so many social media platforms, including Instagram, and Facebook, and now people are getting more active on LinkedIn as well because of its professional framework. Adding to it, if you are a vlogger or a blogger, you have to support your YouTube page or your website. India is not that active on the micro-blogging website. We all have Twitter profiles, but we barely post or are barely active because there is already a lot on the plate for people to choose from. Even if we look at people’s behavior when using Threads, they are hardly posting anything but mostly resharing. However, being in the nascent stage, it will be interesting to see what new trends or interfaces Threads will have to offer in the future.”

Django Digital co-founder Shivangh Shah feels that the Threads vs Twitter war is indeed super interesting, after all anything that Elon Musk is involved in is almost always extremely entertaining and fun. “This is the first time in history that a social media platform has amassed millions of users in a matter of just a few hours. Due to this initial buzz revolving around Threads, it may currently seem that Threads might overtake Twitter in terms of popularity if it keeps growing at the pace and manages to successfully convert that buzz into rendering their pre-visioned services. However, Elon Musk is not someone who would fold his cards easily. Also, it’s not easy for something like Twitter which has been around for 10+ years to be taken over. While everyone is stoked about the Threads vs Twitter war and rooting for sides, on an administrative level, the inception of Threads would probably go down as the best cross-promotion across platforms in the history of social media.”

Nofiltr. Group CMO and partner Hitarth Dadia believes that it is too early to make any firm conclusions. “However, there are a few things to think about. One, Meta is well-known for releasing tools and technologies at precisely the right time. When TikTok was banned, they did the same with Reels. They did the same thing with Snapchat stories during its previous demise in India. So they know what they’re doing, but they also have to take into account the fact that Twitter is a historical brand. For so long, all of the flaws and chinks in their armour have been exposed, so Meta knows what mistakes to make and avoid, which I find intriguing. Twitter, on the other hand, is a difficult opponent to defeat because they are more knowledgeable about text-based social media interactions. But, for the time being, and I realise it’s too early to tell, Twitter still carries a little more weight when it comes to verifying things, funding things, or anything else along those lines. Twitter is now a slightly better information source than threads. As a result, threads may discover a way to gain credibility while still facing extremely strict moderation on the network. I believe there will be a fierce battle, and speculating on it would be fun.”

What should Twitter be truly worried about?

Threads were and are being downloaded at a massive pace – does Twitter, the long-term player, truly have something to worry about? If yes, what does Twitter need to actually be concerned about?

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Agarwal comprehends that there are always challenges whenever a new brand comes into the market, even for someone like Twitter, which has its own follower base. We have examples where new brands or players have created their own space and audience in a short span of time and have catered to them.

“What Twitter needs to be actually concerned about is that, over the years, it has reduced its active usage adoption to a certain group of people, particularly those who are in the hierarchy. A normal user merely uses Twitter either to catch up with what’s trending or complain about a brand or product. Mostly, it is used by journalists, stars, politicians or political aficionados, and a few leaders of companies. Where Twitter can be bothered at present is Threads making its unique space amidst an audience that actively engages in political discussions but uses Instagram stories to share their viewpoint. A space where it is no longer about copy-paste and resharing but a healthy platform for engaging in conversation,” she goes on.

Dadia is of the view that competition ultimately brings benefits as it drives the development of the best possible versions of platforms for users. “If the majority of users prefer Threads and find them more enjoyable, Threads will emerge as the preferred option. However, it’s important to acknowledge that Twitter has remained popular for a significant period, indicating that some users value specific aspects of the platform and choose to remain loyal. In my view, Twitter’s existing user base is not currently diminishing; instead, threads are attracting new users. Some individuals may use both Twitter and Instagram, but this has only a limited impact on Twitter’s overall user count. However, if Threads continue to introduce new features and effectively address concerns like ads, bots, and misinformation, the situation could change. At present, threads are gaining popularity, but Twitter is not experiencing significant user attrition. People are actively using and engaging with the platform, which is an important factor to consider.”

Looking at it from a different angle, Gandhi realises that additionally, this presents a significant opportunity for advertisers to diversify their marketing strategies and reach a larger demographic. “Notably, these developments arrive at a time when Twitter is undergoing several changes and facing its own challenges. However, it’s important to acknowledge that the success of one platform doesn’t necessarily equate to the failure of others. Collaboration and innovation are key drivers in the industry, enabling all players to thrive and achieve their goals.”

Shah recognises that Threads is surely a threat to Twitter and the biggest one it has ever faced yet, considering the pace at which it is growing. “Keeping in mind this whole social clout that Mark Zuckerberg is trying to build, there is definitely a perfect strategy that underlies the whole ‘occurrence’ of Threads. That being said, one of the features that Twitter should be worried about when it comes to Threads is the ability of the Meta platform to inter-transfer followers/users. Considering the popularity of Instagram and their user database, it may not take long for Threads to finally catch up and eventually surpass Twitter. It will be interesting to see how Elon Musk counters this.”

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Threads to continue to have an upper hand in this war?

The very fact that you cannot delete Threads without deleting Instagram, has made a lot of people hold back from downloading it. Will Threads continue to have an upper hand in this war?

Shah of Django Digital personally feels that it was a very smart and a thought through move wherein you cannot delete Threads without deleting Instagram. “Instagram in 2023 is pretty much like Facebook in 2016 – because everyone’s on it! At this point, Instagram has become more than just a social media platform, it has become a habit. Now here’s the interesting part about this particular feature – No one actually knew nor where they actively informed about this cross-dependence between Meta platforms before or even during the download procedures. This particular information only made it out to the media when a user found out about it a few days back. However, by that time Threads had already amassed 5 million+ followers. Although it may look like it, one could argue that users are not actually held back or force-retained by cross-platform leverages due to the inevitable prospering of Threads. At that stage, even the people that are supposedly ‘held back’ would eventually come to use it. Personally, this whole Threads vs Twitter war is exceptionally interesting to witness in the sense that the two most brilliant minds with the right kind of resources are at the front of this. This is a first-of-its-kind digital warfare.”

Agarwal of Grapes agrees that the entire news circulating that Threads cannot be deleted without deleting Instagram had created a lot of concern among people. But it comes as a relief to know that Threads profile can be deactivated following certain procedures. “The rate at which conversation is unfolding around Threads, people are curious to try the new app. Threads can leverage the situation by maintaining a constant monthly active user base where they need to showcase the fact that their accounts are there on Threads and the users have visited the platform at least once a month to communicate and engage, which can help the app amplify its reach amongst the audience.”

Dadia elucidates that Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has acknowledged this concern. “In a Threads post, he mentioned that they are currently exploring the option to delete Threads accounts independently. Therefore, I believe this issue will not pose a long-term problem. Regarding the question of whether Threads will have an advantage or not, it will depend on their ability to continually introduce new features and effectively address issues such as ads, bots, account deactivation, and misinformation. If they can successfully do so, the situation could change. As of now, Threads are gaining popularity, but Twitter remains an actively engaging platform, with users not deactivating their accounts. This is an important aspect to consider.”

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“Ultimately, the ultimate success of each platform will depend on how effectively they address their respective audiences’ needs and differentiate themselves from existing platforms. Both Threads and Twitter will be benefiting users and the industry as a whole,” Gandhi wraps up.