(VitalNews.org) – When it comes to public discourse online, Twitter reigns supreme as the ultimate public square, but Mark Zuckerberg is planning on knocking the social media platform off its pedestal with a new app to rival it.
Zuckerberg’s company, Meta, is preparing to release a new app called Threads, which was teased on Monday and became available to download on July 6th. Some are calling it “the Twitter killer.”
Threads will function similarly to Twitter with an emphasis on public discourse. People can log in to Threads with their Instagram accounts and follow others they’re already following on that platform. Instagram is owned by Meta, along with Facebook and WhatsApp.
As Zuckerberg moves in for the kill, Twitter is currently going through some backlash from users after Elon Musk imposed temporary limits on how many tweets users can view while using the app, which he said was an attempt to mitigate other companies “scraping” Twitter’s data. Many users were frustrated when met with messages telling them their “rate limit” was exceeded. It would seem discouraging screen time on a social media app isn’t the best business decision.
An employee of Meta noted last year how “Twitter is in crisis” after their leadership change and that Zuckerberg’s company “needs its mojo back,” calling for Meta to “go for their bread and butter.” Executives for Meta have described Threads as a version of apps like Twitter that is “sanely run,” obviously referencing Musk and criticizing his behavior as well as the changes he’s made to Twitter since being at the helm.
Meanwhile, the rivalry between the two tech billionaires could manifest into an actual fight. Over the last couple of weeks, there’s been talk of a possible cage match between the two men after Musk challenged Zuckerberg. It’s still not quite clear if the fight will take place, although both men have expressed genuine interest. Musk even received an offer from controversial influencer, ex-kickboxer, and human trafficker Andrew Tate.
According to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White, both Musk and Zuckerberg have expressed to him privately that they would be willing to do the fight. White believes it would be the biggest fight ever.
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