Meta, owner of social media giant, Facebook has announced plans to introduce a text-based social network designed to compete with Twitter.
According to Meta, the Twitter-like platform would allow users to follow accounts they already follow on Instagram, Meta’s image-sharing app. Also, it could allow them to bring over followers from decentralised platforms such as Mastodon.
This is made known through a source from the company while speaking to the media. The tech giant aims to release it soon, although no date was given. There is some speculation that it could be as early as the end of June.
The layout of this new platform will be familiar to anyone who has spent time on Twitter.
The text-based network which has a working title of P92 could turn out to be a greater rival to Elon Musk’s Twitter than either BlueSky or Mastodon.
While both have attracted users disillusioned with Twitter, starting afresh on a new social network and rebuilding a community, is difficult.
According to Meta, it has around two billion users, which dwarfs the 300 million that are believed to use Twitter – although its figures can no longer be verified.
Meta says it takes “inspiration” from other products, although others put it less kindly – Stories on Facebook was based on a Snapchat feature, and Reels on Instagram is unmistakably similar to TikTok.