Meta, the US internet company that owns Facebook, has shown employees a plan for a text-based social network to compete with Twitter. The upcoming platform could allow users to follow accounts they already follow on Instagram. It could allow them to bring in followers from decentralized platforms like Mastodon. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed the platform’s development, the BBC news site reported today. There is speculation that Meta could launch the social network as early as the end of June.
On the internet, there are images and screenshots that the company has presented to employees that give an idea of what the app will look like. The look of this new platform is reminiscent of Twitter. A social network with the working name P92 could be a more serious competitor to Twitter than Bluesky or Mastodon.
Both networks attracted users who were unhappy with developments at Twitter after the company was taken over by billionaire Elon Musk late last year. But starting on a new social network and rebuilding a community is complex, the BBC notes.
If Meta’s new platform attracted just a quarter of Instagram users, it would have a significant lead over Twitter.
Meta reports that Instagram has around two billion users. Twitter puts theirs at 300 million, but this figure cannot be verified. If Mety’s new platform attracted just a quarter of Instagram users, it would have a significant lead over Twitter.
Twitter has come under scrutiny recently for content moderation and, in May, decided not to comply with the EU‘s misinformation code. Under Musk’s leadership, moderation of Twitter content has reportedly been restricted, which critics say has allowed for increased misinformation. Musk denies this and claims that misinformation on the social network has decreased since he took over.
Source: CTK
