I tried using Threads for two weeks – here’s why Twitter is better for me

Positioned as an app “for sharing text updates and joining public conversations”, Mark Zuckerberg’s newest brainchild Threads was set to be a welcome alternative to Elon Musk’s Twitter. 

Ever since he acquired the app for a record US$44 billion (S$58 billion), Musk has implemented a series of abrupt and drastic changes including temporarily limiting the number of tweets a user can see per day and Twitter Blue, a paid subscription that gives users a blue check mark and the ability to edit and make longer tweets, among other features.

As such, Threads came at an opportune time as users, including myself, were growing weary of Twitter’s unpredictability. According to its product page, Threads aims “to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space”. It also claims to “offer a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations”.

Thus, on Jul 5, I was among the 100 million sign-ups for Threads. 

Now, about two weeks later, Threads has joined Bondee at a special place in my phone’s storage: Its recycle bin.

Don’t get me wrong. If you’re someone who has loved using Threads, more power to you. However, as someone who is chronically online, here are a few reasons why I’ve ditched Threads.

1. LACK OF REAL-TIME UPDATES

This was my biggest gripe with Threads. As someone who deals with entertainment news, I need to know the latest developments in my stories – unfounded or not. 

“How many people are currently in the online queue for Taylor Swift’s concert tickets?”

“What did a fan give Pink at her concert that was so shocking?”

Twitter instantaneously gave me the answers to these basic questions with just a simple keyword search.

Let’s use a very recent pop culture event to demonstrate my point: Ariana Grande’s divorce.

Here’s what a Twitter search gives me.

Now, let’s compare that with a Threads search.

That’s right. Threads doesn’t even allow me to search for posts using keywords. So if I’m churning out a piece of breaking news and need to know the word on the metaphorical ground, I can pretty much kiss my performance bonus goodbye if I had to rely solely on Threads.

This doesn’t just apply to keywords. Even hashtags are of no use in Threads, which begs the question of how Meta intends to let me find “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations” if I can’t even find the right people to have these conversations with.

At this point, some of you might be thinking, “Surely the algorithm will let the right content show up on your feed, right?”

2. MEDIOCRE FEED

Wrong. I’m an average guy who enjoys pop culture and football news and yet, this is what my Threads feed looks like:

I’m sorry, I didn’t know 2000s memes were back in style. Scrolling through Threads gave me a deluge of random posts from accounts I haven’t even heard of, much less followed.

Look, I’m not expecting Threads to have a TikTok-level algorithm that can seemingly read my mind and personality. However, at the very least, I would expect things that are tangentially related to my interests on my feed – not the holiday plans of some random influencer.

3. LACK OF UNIQUE FEATURES… AND FEATURES, IN GENERAL

In its attempt to not be a direct Twitter copycat, Threads became something worse: Twitter Lite. In fact, I would so far as to call it “Instagram Comments Section Pro” because that’s what scrolling through Threads feels like.

Even as I’m writing this article, I am hard-pressed to find unique features on Threads that make it stand out for me.

No really, the only thing that comes to mind is Threads’ baffling feature where a user’s Instagram profile also gets deleted, should he decide to delete his Threads account.

And we haven’t even talked about the basic features it lacks. 

Trying to slide into someone’s DMs? Well, good luck because Threads does not have a Direct Message feature, so you can’t privately message anyone.

Despite having a Quote button, Threads doesn’t allow you to see what other users (whom you don’t follow) have written in their quotes – limiting the amount of content you can see.

THE ONE THING THREADS HAS DONE WELL

I will end my article on a good note by praising Threads for the one thing it has done well: Creating a safe and positive space.

The app allows you to control who can mention and reply to you. You can block certain words from appearing on your feed and replies. In fact, any account you block on Instagram is automatically blocked on Threads.

During my two weeks on Threads, I didn’t see a single toxic post or comment on my feed. So perhaps, Meta's US$16 billion (S$21.1 billion) investment to "build teams and technologies to protect users" has been put to good use.

That, or maybe the algorithm just forgot to show those toxic posts to me. 

In any case, if you’re someone who wants to carve out your own safe space online, I would recommend Threads to you.

Personally, I love a bit of toxicity in my life which is why I’m running back to Twitter like an ex I can’t quit.

It goes without saying but the more time a user spends on an app, the better its longevity.

Speaking for myself, I need to be sucked into a rabbit hole that ends up with me wondering where the past three hours have gone. That’s why I think it’s imperative for apps to have a good balance between the quantity of features and the quality of features.

Right now, Threads lacks both but hopefully, this changes in the future.