X-Alternative Threads launches in Europe this month

Whether Threads will displace X remains to be seen. (Collage; Source: Logo by X; Logo by Threads/Meta; Unsplash+ in collaboration with Fakhrizal Maulana)

Meta launched its Twitter alternative outside Europe in July 2023. At that time, legal uncertainties led to this decision. Now The Wall Street Journal reports that Threads will also launch here in December.

Twitter fails, Meta wants to move up

The short message service Threads was Meta’s response to the takeover by Elon Musk and the associated decline. Meta is the company behind Facebook and WhatsApp. Now the communications giant is also pushing into the European market in the short message sector.

According to Golem.de, the Digital Service Act (DSA) and Digital Market Act (DMA) stood in the way of publication in Europe. Automatically linking Instagram and Threads could have caused problems under certain circumstances.

Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, Threads seems to have overcome this hurdle. According to reports, the European launch will take place in December.

Special mode could clear Europe hurdle

In order to cope with strict data protection regulations, Threads could get a view-only mode in Europe. This is the opinion of the magazine t3n. This allows you to view content and search for your topics, but you cannot write your own posts or interact with content.

No profile is required and no personal data is collected or collected. In order to post content, you have to create a profile. However, a personalized feed cannot be created without collecting user data. So how practical this view-only mode will be remains to be seen.

That’s how successful Threads is

According to Golem.de, when Threads launched in July it had two million users after just two hours. Later, Marc Zuckerberg – head of Meta – reported in October that 100 million people use the app at least once a month.

However, the initial euphoria quickly disappeared and after the furious start the activity collapsed again. However, it is normal for apps to have more and more users when they start, who may just want to try them out or realize that they can’t handle them.

It remains to be seen whether this will make the ailing Network X irrelevant in Europe.

What do you think about threads? Would you use this program as a Twitter alternative? Do you see this as the future or do you have better alternatives? What experiences have you already had with these alternatives? Or have you stayed loyal to Twitter until now? Feel free to write your thoughts in the comments.