#TeamTake: Men's Folio on Threads

Lifestyle, Culture

#TeamTake: Men’s Folio on Threads

By Asaph Low
July 07, 2023

It’s been about a day since the new kid on the block Threads went live, and we wouldn’t blame you if your screen time increased by 100% over the 24 hours or so. While Mark Zuckerberg’s first tweet in over 10 years aimed at Elon Musk can be considered a jab, Thread’s launch is definitely one of Zuckerberg’s many right hooks to come (does this mean their cage fight will really happen?). Zuckerberg proclaimed triumphantly that 30 million users signed up to Threads, and though there isn’t any credibility to it, a badge on your Instagram profile indicated how many accounts ahead of you joined the new social media platform.

What is Threads?

Threads, launched by Meta Platforms, Inc.-owned Instagram, is a text-based conversation app launched as a direct rival of Twitter. In essence, it allows users to publish posts that can be liked, commented on, reposted and shared. Visually, Threads shares an uncanny resemblance to Twitter’s interface, prompting Elon Musk’s swift counter — a lawsuit. Beyond that, there are a few notable differences. For instance, Threads allows posts up to 500 characters long against Twitter’s 280 and 25,000-long tweets for unpaid and paid users, respectively. Image-wise, Twitter limits it to four while Threads takes cue from Instagram’s current 10-images-per-post structure.

If you ever wondered why you’re seeing strange accounts and memes on your home interface, that’s because it’s based on Instagram’s algorithm, and there’s no way to sort it at the moment. Hashtags do not work currently (we’re unsure if that will change in the future), and there isn’t a search function as well. In other words, it’s still the Wild West for Threads until there is more clarity about how its user interface and all that tech stuff pans out in the future.

Until then, here’s what the Men’s Folio team thinks about Threads and a compilation of the funniest reactions so far.

Izwan Abdullah, Group Creative Director
“I can’t believe it’s not Twitter!”

Asaph Low, Managing Editor
“When people ask me how does Threads work.”

Charmaine Tan, Associate Digital and Lifestyle Editor
“This can go two ways. Also is there going to be #stanthreads?”

Bryan Goh, Grooming Director
“Now awaiting tickets to watch the upcoming Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg cage fight in the flesh.”

Manfred Lu, Associate Fashion Editor
“The whole point of Twitter now is that it’s actually about memes and to not see your friend’s personal updates — Threads kinda kills the mood here.”