The battle between the Twitter CEO and Meta CEO has reached new heights over the last few days with the introduction of Meta’s Threads. Zuckerberg’s latest endeavor, touted as a direct rival to Twitter, has gained substantial traction among users, thanks in large part to its integration with Instagram and access to its user base of over 2 billion. Threads has been hailed as the potential “Twitter Killer,” gaining over 100 million users in its first five days.
While Meta’s team was celebrating the initial success of the app, Musk sought to reassure die-hard Twitter loyalists with a tweet on Tuesday, declaring, “You are free to be your true self here.”
You are free to be your true self here
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 11, 2023
Since taking over the platform in October, Musk has consistently shared that he values “free speech.” As a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” he has come under fire for readmitting previously banned accounts and disclosing internal documents regarding past content moderation decisions.
In stark contrast, Zuckerberg and Meta are adopting a different approach with Threads. Zuckerberg and the app’s official account have made it clear that their vision for the platform is to create a “friendly and amicable space.”
Post by @zuckView on Threads
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri also shared that Threads is intended to be a place for “less angry” conversations to take place.
“The goal isn’t to replace Twitter,” Mosseri said. “The goal is to create a public square for communities on Instagram that never really embraced Twitter and for communities on Twitter (and other platforms) that are interested in a less angry place for conversations, but not all of Twitter.”
Threads arrives on the scene less than a year after Elon Musk assumed control of Twitter, introducing a series of controversial changes to the platform. These alterations included the removal of old content moderation rules, tweaks to the app’s For You algorithm and the abandonment of the verification process in favor of a monthly subscription.
Still, the battle between Threads and Twitter is just beginning. Musk may champion “free speech,” but the downside means that harmful misinformation has the potential to spread rapidly. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg may be pushing for a welcoming atmosphere on Threads, but some right-wing users have shared their plans to “test” the limits of friendliness. Only time will tell which social media app will be the one to rule them all.
