[에듀플러스]It was so alike... Twitter Files a Lawsuit against Thread

Feeds and Mentions Twitter-like Threads
Hashtags, DMs, and silt functions are missing

Meta's new SNS “Thread,” the starting point of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg's “controversy over martial arts confrontation,” is gaining sensational popularity.

According to Zuckerberg, Thread has attracted 30 million subscribers in 16 hours since its launch on the 5th. Although its functions are different, it is much faster than “Chat GPT” (five days and one million users), which was also a big topic.

As of August last year, Twitter, which achieved 200 million active users per day, has begun to pursue Twitter in earnest. On the day of its release, it was ranked No. 1 in the free app store of Apple.

While celebrities such as Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, and broadcaster Oprah Winfrey are quickly “transferring” to Thread on Twitter, Twitter showed an uncomfortable feeling. They point out that the thread has imitated Twitter.

Linda “You have created a Twitter community that cannot be replaced. This is a public square. We are often imitated, but the Twitter community can never be replicated,” said Yacarino, CEO of Twitter.

Twitter also sent a warning letter to Zuckerberg Meta, under the name of its in-house lawyer Alex Speiro, according to U.S. online media Semaphor. The letter said, “Twitter plans to strictly enforce intellectual property rights,” adding, “We urge Meta to immediately take measures to stop using Twitter's trade secrets or important information.”

Meta instructed the employees to develop a copycat app, “Thread,” with the specific intention of using Twitter's trade secrets and intellectual property, he said. “This is a violation of state law and federal law.”

So, how similar does Thread look to Twitter?

Meta has positioned threads as a space where users can have open conversations in real time. It is safe to say that it is “Twitter” that can be logged in with an Instagram account. Users said, “I remember the early days of Twitter when there was no advertisement.”

From the way postings appear on the feed, the bottom bar with “Like,” “Reply,” “Reporter” and “Share” is similar. The order and bookmark functions have disappeared, but the functions themselves are similar. The way threads (tweeter 'response') run down is also the same as Twitter. It is the same that once posted, it cannot be modified and can only be deleted.

Like “Twitter Blue,” threads also have “Meta Verification,” a paid account authentication service. However, it has not been confirmed whether it will provide options that increase the number of characters like Twitter Blue.

Hashtags, real-time trends, no direct messages

However, threads differ from Twitter in how they view their posts and in search functions, real-time trends, hashtags, and direct message (DM) functions. It is a light Twitter that has lost much of its function.

You can check your posts on your profile at the bottom right of the main screen like Instagram. Posts appear like tweets. In addition, search functions and real-time trends cannot be checked, and there are no hashtags and DM functions.

However, the advantage is that the maximum number of characters per post is 500 more, as if they were aware of the user's dissatisfaction with the existing 280-character limit on Twitter.

In addition, you can post up to 10 photos and 5 minutes of videos with a free account, so you can post more content than Twitter (4 photos, 2 minutes and 20 seconds of video). There is also a function of hiding replies that contain specific words or phrases.

In particular, the strength is that you can easily log in with an Instagram account. You don't have to make a new ID, and you can also bring a list of friends you've followed. Instagram, which has 2 billion active monthly users, supports the thread.

Musk VS Zuckerberg Controversy Begins

Thread is an SNS that has become more famous due to the “martial arts confrontation” of two billionaires.

As news spread that Meta was developing a thread, CEO Musk provoked by mentioning CEO Zuckerberg, and the fight was ignited by a sudden preview of a martial arts showdown.

When a user watching CEO Musk's mockery said, “Be careful that Zuckerberg does jiujitsu,” he said, “I'm ready for an ironclad fight (cage match).”

When Zuckerberg responded to Instagram, “Send the location,” Musk mentioned the mixed martial arts UFC stadium, saying, “Las Vegas Octagon.”

Dana White, the UFC representative for U.S. mixed martial arts, saw that the match between the two could actually take place. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Zuckerberg called me first and asked, 'Is Musk sincere?' When he contacted Musk, he said, 'I'm really serious.'

The atmosphere was heightened as the two revealed images of Rex Friedman, an artificial intelligence (AI) researcher who has been practicing Jiu-Jitsu for a long time, and Daeryeon. Since then, Musk has also revealed his training with Georges Saint-Pierre, a former UFC champion.

Zuckerberg even posted the so-called “fake spider-man” memes on Musk's Twitter account on the 5th, the day of its release, which is commonly used to argue, “What are you?” after 11 years.

Staff Reporter Seo, Heewon shw@etnews.com