The Daily Scoop: A look at Meta’s Twitter competitor

Meta intends to launch its new Twitter clone soon, Project 92. Celebs such as the Dalai Lama and Oprah are already early-stage users of the Twitter-like social media network, The Verge reported.

“The new standalone app will be based on Instagram and integrate with ActivityPub, the decentralized social media protocol,” The Verge reported. Users can also transfer their followers from Instagram, according to Forbes.

The app is currently known by its internal name of Project 92, but its final name could be Threads, according to Forbes.

Meta’s Chief Product Officer of Facebook Chris Cox said creators and public figures talked about wanting a platform “that is sanely run,” a clear jab at Twitter’s erratic leadership since Elon Musk took control.

The company’s main goal for Project 92 to ensure that creators know the platform is a “stable place to build and grow their audiences.”

According to Forbes, the app will look like Twitter, according to screenshots The Verge reported.

Project 92 will feature verified users, tout a like and reshare button and there will be a place for messaging, according to the article.

Why it matters: Project 92, aka Threads, is in the right place at the right time. Twitter users are desperate for another platform to safely land on. Twitter’s been a sinking ship for quite a while now as it loses followers with Musk’s questionable leadership and head-scratching business decisions. However, despite his unfortunate antics, this app could be a silver lining for PR pos.

Unlike other Twitter competitors that have been heralded as the next big thing before once again sinking into obscurity, Meta has a track record of successful apps that are used by billions around the world. They know how to build and scale apps. And while their moderation isn’t perfect, they’re at least making an attempt, unlike Twitter at this stage. The app also promises to make it easy to transfer followers from Instagram and integrate content seamlessly.

Above all, Meta is a brand that advertisers and PR professionals know and trust. They still have actual verification measure in place — and without Twitter’s exorbitant price point for organizations. That’s a relief in an age of misinformation. And as a publicly traded company, Meta is still accountable to shareholders, not merely one man’s whim.

Stability is the most important thing that this text-based Instagram could bring to the table.

Cox and Meta as a whole need to continue pushing out the message that safety, ease of use and reliability are its North Star when Twitter’s been everything but that.

Editor’s Picks:

• Tucker Carlson has a new show on Twitter. The former controversial Fox news host debuted his first show last week. Will there be fallout afterward due to contract breaches?
• Twitter’s ad sales in the United States are not looking good. What will the social media platform do going forward? New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino looks to turn things around.
• Zoom is beating out competition with online meetings and is among the tech industry’s most trusted brands, Morning Consult reported.

Sherri Kolade is a writer at Ragan Communications. When she is not with her family, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style films, reading and building an authentically curated life that includes more than occasionally finding something deliciously fried. Follow her on LinkedIn. Have a great PR story idea? Email her at sherrik@ragan.com.