RMIT University Vietnam experts are available for comment on the recent introduction of the Threads platforms by Meta. Explore their overall points of views below and contact us if you want to interview any of our experts.
Dr Joshua Dwight – Lecturer of Information Technology, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, RMIT University Vietnam
- Same technology, new outfit – this is Meta’s version of Twitter, which appears extremely similar to Twitter. Meta appears to strategically take advantage of Twitter’s disarray and acquire more technical talent, users, and advertisers.
- Privacy and security issues will continue to be problematic for users of Meta and Threads.
- Meta has not properly addressed social engineering issues on their social media assets (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, etc.). Platform moderation and identity management are not strengths or important features for Meta, as they use Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act and the First Amendment to sidestep accountability. So, I imagine scammers are joining Threads as we speak to deceive users through malvertising and fake identities.
Dr Nguyen Ngoc Thanh – Lecturer, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, RMIT University Vietnam
- “Long story short” is a commonly used phrase to introduce a summary or concise version of a longer story or explanation. This ‘principle’ is widely applied by companies seeking innovation in their products and services, leading to many successes. We can see examples like TikTok, which offers a collection of short ad-style videos, and Twitter, which serves as a platform for short-form blogging and social media. In the past, Nokia leaders famously stated that all innovation in Nokia was focused on making the phone smaller and improving battery life.
It’s surprising that Facebook/Meta didn’t do this earlier.
- The other important factor is that the user base is critical for any system. With Threads, Meta can leverage its already huge user base from Instagram, which will provide the necessary momentum for growth in terms of revenue, advertising, and support.
Dr Abdul Rohman – Senior Lecturer of Professional Communication, School of Communication & Design, RMIT University Vietnam
- Threads is essentially Twitter, which is not widely used in Vietnam, thus in terms of market competitions it has no significant impact locally or as much as in the neighbouring countries such as Indonesia in which Twitter use is ubiquitous.
- Threads promises to be a space for ‘positive vibes’ for users but will suffer from the same negative issues that have been hampering Meta, the mother company of Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Mis/disinformation will become more abundant as online influencers can easily share it while the information fed by Threads algorithms will exacerbate online polarisations.
- The accessibility of Threads is less if compared to Twitter. Alt-text features are not automatic like they are on Twitter. Meta is still working on this matter, to make the platform more accessible, but that should have been done from the beginning to meet different needs of diverse users.