#haven't even started on the pages and they want us to implement a search function for some data in the database

[getbreaded]

Waking up at 6:15 has its benefits :)

More and more I try to appreciate the small moments, so that my days aren't just a big sludge of studying, public transportation and nothing else.

Spending time with my family, texting a friend, watching the sunrise, enjoying the quiet in the uni library...

[helielune]

i looked at threads so you don't have to

the point of social media is to feel like you can connect with EVERYONE there, and in that sense, since Threads (by meta) is the only twitter competitor with a userbase pre-baked-in, i think they are by FAR the only actual threat to twitter in the near future

i love watching drama from the sidelines so i gathered some info about it, for all of us curious but cautious creatures:

toc: 1. features 2. acct deletion 3. home feed 4. privacy etc

1. threads is purposefully launching with MINIMUM POSSIBLE features. they are not shy about saying this. (wikipedia literally begins the history section of their Threads page by talking about twitter) they saw an opportunity to launch when and where it hurts and they TOOK it, instead of waiting to build an actually full service. and it's WORKING.

as of now, you can post/like/comment, repost, un/follow, mute and block things, and search (for accts). no dms, hashtags, web app, searching for posts, and your home feed IS your explore page (more on this later).

for more details here is a basic rundown of the app so far (nbc news), and here is a list of features they don't have yet (forbes)

2. they are 'looking into' a way to delete your threads account without deleting your entire instagram. (instagram ceo, via threads, and mentioned in other sources scattered around here)

from a slightly tech standpoint, threads is officially built as an offshoot of instagram. it literally calls itself an instagram app. when you sign up, you can only sign up via instagram. so depending on how they developed threads, it's likely that it was literally just easier to build a version of threads that is basically instagram with a hat, where removing the hat removes the body (??). if i give them some benefit of the doubt, maybe they just haven't figured out how deletion should work, since they seem to want every insta acct to have exactly one threads acct (so they'd need to plan ahead in case of returning signups and all). and since they wanted to get threads out as fast as possible, this is just what it came out as.

still, they don't seem to be promising much. imagine if they finish 'looking into' it and decide it isn't worth implementing. lol. also it was still definitely greedy of them to link those deletions together now so no one can leave when they realize there is no functionality yet! the same greedy that made them release this half-baked idea in the first place.

but, if you already made a threads, it is Possible that you will eventually be able to delete it without affecting insta.

3. from what i understand, getting used to threads is like training your fyp on tiktok. (i've also never had a tiktok lmao, but my friends do) it does not have a chronological timeline. it does not even have a Following timeline. you are served whatever the algorithm desires and you just have to deal with it, and you WILL be wading through default shit for a while (the verge but also Everyone is complaining about this lol)

they say that they are working on it too (instagram ceo again, via threads-- with much more conviction than they had for the deletion feature)

4. yes, it is asking for WAY TOO MUCH DATA ACCESS in the app store. meta does this with all of their apps (the general permissions list for threads on the app store is identical to fb's and insta's).

i've seen some people say that threads might not be actively using (or collecting??) every single category. notably, threads does not have ads yet, so a lot of visible surveillance things that fb is known for have not shown up.

this might be true Now (though it's an awfully generous opinion!), but they are At Least actively opening the doors to do so in the future. if you've already agreed to those permissions when downloading or logging into the app, you will NOT be notified if a new update suddenly starts siphoning all the data they ignored before. just so yall are aware.

this is likely not as big of a deal if you already have insta and/or fb downloaded, but it's always great to be informed :)

and yes, meta is withholding official launch in the entire EU, almost certainly because of their data privacy AND new anti-trust legislations. (some links may require subscriptions, but not all) there are other posts about this already though.

basically, threads is hardly even meant to be used at this point. it's almost completely unusable compared to other competing sites, which already existed. it's also run by a Notoriously Evil, massive company, with 114 Blazing Red Flags for personal security. (one for each type of data they ask for, plus 100 extra for saying "other data")

they are launching now to attract as large of a userbase as possible, and then just squatting on it as they figure out which functions to add and how to do that. from what i see, most people are joining for the same reason-- claim their username, and then squat on it as they wait for the app to be functional. no hate to them, because meta is nothing if not a master of marketing, and also there are a lot of legit reasons why you may want to claim your name, or make sure your following can stay with you, etc etc.

but what i'm going to be doing, and recommending to everyone else as well, is just grab a snack and watch this crazy competition from a Safe Distance as it goes down. i said that threads is probably the only twt competitor in the immediate future, because it's the only one with the pre-established market control to be one. but if we don't want to hand our entire society over to a soulless megacorp, we can play the long game. i mean, we're already Here, right? might as well just settle in for a long haul🍿