Instagram to reportedly launch text-based app to rival Twitter

In a secret meeting with select creators, Instagram’s parent company, Meta, reportedly revealed its plan to launch a text-based conversation app. The leaked screenshots of the alleged upcoming app show a user interface similar to Twitter.

Instagram’s plan to rival Twitter was uncovered by Lia Haberman, an influencer marketing and social media marketing teacher at the University of California, Los Angeles Extension. According to Haberman, although the text-based app is built on top of Instagram, it is decentralized and will function as a separate app. The app will also be compatible with other decentralized social media apps like Mastodon, allowing users to reach more audiences.

Meta’s been briefing creators on it’s upcoming text-based app — now looking at a possible late June launch.

Details are in my newsletter but I’ll list some highlights pic.twitter.com/KYqqXjrRmD

— Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) May 19, 2023

The upcoming app will maintain a Twitter-like centralized feed, allowing users to view content such as text, images and videos shared by followers and recommended accounts. Each text-based post will be limited to a word count of 500 characters.

Screenshots of Instagram’s new text-based app. Source: Twitter

While the app rivaling Twitter will function independently of Instagram, creator controls and account safety features, such as blocked accounts and keywords, will carry over to the new app.

Confirmed with sources that Instagram is working on a Twitter competitor (a separate app) for release this summer. It might eventually be compatible with open solutions like Mastodon. Credit to @liahaberman @MattNavarra @CaseyNewton for earlier deets https://t.co/f2KNITGZy6

— Sarah Frier (@sarahfrier) May 19, 2023

Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier reportedly confirmed the development of Instagram’s Twitter-like app from insiders. Meta first confirmed plans to develop a standalone decentralized social network in March when it said, “We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”

With a vision to impart further decentralization in the internet, TBD — a division of Jack Dorsey’s fintech company Block — announced a Web5 decentralized web platform that aims to introduce “decentralized identity and data storage” to applications.

To facilitate this decentralized web experience, TBD’s web5 platform will introduce several key components and employ the use of decentralized identifiers.

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