Meta has shown its staff plans for a text-based social network that is meant to compete with Twitter.
It could let people follow accounts they already follow on Meta’s photo-sharing app, Instagram. Also, it might let them bring followers over from decentralized sites like Mastodon.
PREVIOUSLY: Meta is Developing a Twitter Substitute, Called P92
According to sources, the platform was in the works.
Meta’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, said that the software was being coded. The tech giant plans to put it out soon, but they didn’t say when. Some people think it could happen as soon as the end of June.
Screenshots of the app that were shown to workers have been posted online. These could give an idea of what the app will look like.
The text-based network, called P92 for now, could end up being a bigger threat to Elon Musk’s Twitter than either BlueSky or Mastodon.
Even though both have users who were unhappy with Twitter, it’s hard to start over on a new social network and build a group from scratch.
But there are a lot of people on Instagram. Meta says it has about two billion users, which is a lot more than the 300 million people who are thought to use Twitter, though those numbers can’t be checked anymore.
If even 25% of Instagram users switch to P92 (it will have a better name when it comes out, I’m sure), it will immediately be bigger than its older competitor.
Meta says it gets “inspiration” from other products, but other people say it in a less nice way. For example, Stories on Facebook was based on a Snapchat feature, and Reels on Instagram looks a lot like TikTok.
