This might help explain the spectacular launch of Threads (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by MusketeerX@lemmy.world to c/fediverse@lemmy.world

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Automatically creating a shadow account for everyone on Instagram?

Even allowing people to follow that account?

Sounds like they really wanted to push Threads out the door in a big way.

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[-] Goldmaster@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago

This happened to me. Joined threads and what do I see? Signal and instantly had a bunch of random accounts follow me.

I think I'm sticking to Mastodon and Pixelfed.

[-] Fosheze@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Fuck Meta and all but this isn't news. Meta litterally said straight up that they would be doing this before threads ever launched. If you have an instagram account then that is also your threads account. This isn't some conspiracy it's exactly what they told everyone they were doing. It's no diferent than linked accounts for google services.

[-] gapbetweenus@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago

Now we know why it was not launched in EU.

[-] fer0n@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They’re not creating a shadow account, you’re literally logging in with your instagram account.

What this post is implying, is that the user numbers are just existing instagram accounts, which doesn’t make sense because in that case they’d have 2 billion users within the first second.

You can follow/request to follow before the user has actually "created" the account, so they’re lying about which users have done that already, not about how many users they actually have.

Come at me downvotes

[-] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I signed up for it, they have an option for you to pre-follow people for when they sign up to threads

[-] AlmightySnoo@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I smell an antitrust lawsuit coming up. Whether we hate Twitter or not, they could have a valid case against Meta here as this shit is anti-competitive as fuck. If Elon is smart enough, and that's a big if, he could seize the opportunity to sue Meta over this and win. To just be able to recycle existing Instagram users gives Meta an unfair advantage over existing microblogging social media platforms.

[-] ignitionnight@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Using an advantage does not mean it's anti competitive.

[-] AlmightySnoo@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

It is anti-competitive because it is like Windows forcing Internet Explorer as a default, which the EU for instance ruled anti-competitive in the past.

[-] jalda@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

But they aren't forcing Threads as a default. They are associating Instagram accounts to Threads accounts, the same way Google associates GMail accounts to GDrive.

We all hate Facebook, but can we hate them for the things that they actually do, instead of inventing false reasons to hate them?

[-] AlmightySnoo@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

Good point, the GMail and GDrive analogy is indeed more accurate. Though I don't believe Google is a good example as it is actually the subject of many antitrust lawsuits.

[-] varzaman@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

Can we please stop with the misinformation campaign.

Everyone on here is trying to pat each other on the back by being better than Reddit.

So far no one on here acts differently from Reddit, no matter how much you guys like to pretend lol.

“Shadow accounts” lol. It’s literally your instagram account. Threads is built on top of Instagram. None of this is some hidden secret.

[-] lem_dart@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

Why does everything have to be a conspiracy with some people? Threads literally and directly explains that it uses your Instagram account. They're the same account. Nothing crazy. No magic. No oogie boogie. Just the same account.

[-] Noughmad@programming.dev 0 points 1 year ago

Does anyone remember Google+? When they tried to make everyone with a YouTube account also have a Google+ account.

Spoiler alert: it didn't go well

[-] UESPA_Sputnik@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Which is a pity because the ideas of having "circles" was actually clever. Or at least I thought so back then. I wonder how modern social media would look like if they all implemented that.