We have an epic battle in the exciting world of social media warfare. It’s X versus Threads, the short-form social media showdown. In one corner, we have X, the reigning champion of short-form posts in conflict and debate. In the other corner, we have Threads, the newcomer in this field, betting heavily on user control and aiming for everyone to play nice. Can X maintain its dominance and keep you scrolling for more? Will Threads provide a better and safer platform for public conversations? The story of X versus Threads involves a takeover of leadership, the departure of a large number of users, and a record-breaking launch. After clearing the dust of the past, we are here to answer the most important question for you and your brand’s future: Which one should you use?
What is the difference between X and Threads?
What is X?
What is Threads?
Which one should you use – X or Threads?
What are the demographic differences among users of X and Threads?
Threads users tend to be younger and more educated, although X is increasing its Generation Z audience due to its new creator features. X users tend to be male millennials who are white and without a college degree. However, there is diversity in the economic and political spectrum, making it a controversial place.
What is X?
X is a social media platform specializing in short-form text content with images, links, and videos. The platform was originally named Twitter and facilitates 500 million posts daily (previously tweets).
What are the advantages of X?
X boasts a large user base, with daily active users numbering 253 million, giving it a significant advantage over Threads, which has only 10.3 million users. Sixty-two percent of social media users spend at least one hour a month on X, compared to 21% who spend time on Threads. In terms of usage growth, it seems to be varied. We conducted a survey of X users in August 2023 and found that 28% of users increased their time on Twitter month over month while 31% decreased their time spent – and 12% left the platform altogether. The platform has lost many high-profile users during leadership changes in 2022 and 2023. Despite the upheavals, X remains the top choice for media and live sports and is gaining popularity and users again. X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, reported that 1.5 million new users are joining the platform daily, with Generation Z being its largest and fastest-growing demographic.
What are Threads?
The story of X versus Threads involves a takeover of leadership, the departure of a large number of users, and a record-breaking launch. Threads is a text-based social media network launched in 2023 by Instagram. It borrows many features from X with a streamlined interface and is designed around user control and meaningful dialogue.
What are the advantages of Threads?
Threads takes the best aspects of X and adds its own touch. Here are the top features that make Threads stand out:
Simple design: Threads features a clean and straightforward interface with easy steps for sharing, replying to content, and reposting. Users enjoy the white background, clean fonts, and absence of ads.
Designed for user control: Are you tired of random chatter on X? Take control of the conversation and specify who can reply to you or mention you, and restrict replies to specific groups. You can also add unwanted keywords to filter replies that contain that keyword. If you’ve blocked people on Instagram, these settings carry over as well.
System
Strong monitoring: Threads prides itself on its active content monitoring system to distinguish itself from X. After following the community guidelines on Instagram, Threads attempts to identify and remove hate speech, threats, terrorism, some sexual content, and copyright violations.
What are the drawbacks of Threads?
The sacrifice for a simple interface and user focus? Limited functionality in some cases and limited opportunities for brands to engage. Limited formats: Threads has limited formats, lacking live streaming and polls compared to X. While Threads outperforms the free version of X in terms of character count and video length, X offers more flexibility and functionality through its premium offerings.
A new tool, fewer users, and fewer integrations: As a new tool, Threads has a smaller user base and few integrations at this stage. If you are used to scheduling and managing your social media accounts through a social media management platform, it is likely that Threads does not support it yet. It is also unclear whether Threads can maintain the influx of new users, as reports indicate that initial app usage dropped by 79% after a month. We conducted a survey of users about how they plan to use Threads in the coming months. We found that 39% of users said they plan to use the social media channel more, while 13% plan to decrease their usage, and 17% plan to stop using the channel altogether.
No direct messaging: You cannot communicate directly with any user on Threads because there are no direct messages. That’s right, there is no way to send a direct message to another user on Threads without it being public. This controversial choice by Threads may have been an attempt to limit unwanted harassment messages, which are known in direct messaging on X, but it makes individual communication difficult.
Absence of ads or business accounts (for now): Some may consider the absence of ads a major victory for the Threads experience and enhances the authentic community. However, this affects brands that need a clear path to reach their target user groups with their content. There are some brands testing the waters and making it work.
Which one should you use – X or Threads?
Now, to the ultimate showdown: which one should you use? X provides users with more features and functionalities and has a clear path for brands to advertise and engage with audiences. X is also the clear winner for content creators looking to monetize their platform. However, you will pay to play, as you will need to subscribe to premium X to access the best features. On the flip side, X suffers from saturation with well-known brands and thought leaders. It can be challenging to break in and get traction for your content. On the other hand, Threads as a new platform offers an exciting opportunity to break through and innovate and start conversations where fewer brands have a presence. 45% of Threads users we surveyed interact with branded content daily, and 21% of these users engage excessively, interacting more than 10 times a day. Compare that with X, where only 34% of users say they engage with brands daily on the platform, and 7% engage excessively. Before you decide, look at your audience. What demographic are you trying to reach, and why are they online? Do they prefer more curated conversations, or are they eager to discover content? If you want to invest in thought leadership and smart user dialogue, Threads is an excellent place to make an impact – and it can align with brands that have a successful presence on Instagram. Engage with your audience through social media dialogue
Will
Threads and X continue to evolve and add exciting features while competing with each other for years to come. Decide now which features are most important to you and where you can find your audience. Then, get started and prepare for the journey.
Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/twitter-x-vs-threads
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