Instagram comes with Twitter rival

Twitter is getting some serious competition from Instagram. The Meta subsidiary plans to release a text-based app that will compete with Twitter. The app is currently being tested with celebrities and influencers and is expected in June.

The app is separate from Instagram, but it is possible to link accounts. Possibly even with Mastodon, a Twitter alternative built on the ActivityPub protocol. According to other sources, the app would be ‘partially’ integrated into Instagram.

Elon Musk’s chaotic takeover of Twitter has caused some users to look for alternatives.

This new app from Meta is codenamed P92 or Barcelona. Meta has barely commented on it, but did say that “we are (investigating) a self-contained decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there is room for a separate service where public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”

Twitter will soon also face competition from Bluesky, a Twitter alternative in which Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has invested money. Bluesky is not yet public, and is only accessible by invitation.

Bluesky is reportedly very similar to Twitter. Users can share messages of up to 300 characters. They can follow each other, comment on each other and share messages from others. The timeline can be set up in two ways. For example, there is a timeline that puts messages based on interests at the top, but there is also a timeline that gives priority to the newest messages.

Users will also be able to choose servers where they feel at home in the future. Such a server has its own rules and moderators, similar to Mastodon.

It does not mean that all these alternatives are really successful. Previous attempts to introduce Twitter-like services, particularly by American conservatives, have all failed. Mastodon was briefly in the center of attention, but many users have already dropped out.

Based on a (somewhat blurry) example I got, Meta’s new app looks a lot like Twitter.

So, could this take over all the Twitter screenshots we’ve been seeing on the Feed lately? Maybe.

It’s impossible to predict how audiences will respond but this could be an alternative. pic.twitter.com/xgQa1kUjCl

— Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) May 19, 2023