The Threads updates keep coming, with the app now rolling out a new way to share media, which also credits the creator.
As you can see in this example, the new process will enable you to share an image or video from another users’ post, with the shared media then including the creators’ username at the top left, as well as a separate re-share count for that media specifically.
Users will be able to action this process by long pressing on the media element, or by tapping the repost icon. From there, you’ll be able to select “use media” to create your own post using that visual content.
It’s an easy way to help users re-share content while crediting to the originator, as opposed to cutting and pasting to their own account.
Which some users are always going to do anyway, in an effort to get all the credit, and grow their own metrics (note that the metrics on these shared images are reflected on the original, while you still get credit for your own post performance). You can’t help users’ sharing via less scrupulous means, but this will at least provide a means for people to share while respecting the creator, as opposed to just ripping their content.
It could also set a new standard for sharing of this type. If, for example, someone does rip off somebody else’s content without using this process, other users my call them out, and push them to share via this method instead. That could establish a better culture around content sharing, which may make this process an even more important focus in the app.
Again, some users are always going to steal people’s material, and this also, of course, does nothing to stop people taking media from other apps. But it’s a positive step, which has the potential to set new norms, at least within the Threads ecosystem.
Threads has been rolling out changes every week, and sometimes every day, as it works to expand its feature set, and catch up with the established players in the space. And it is doing just that. Earlier this week, Meta announced that Threads is now up to 300 million monthly active users.
That’s still only around half of X’s audience base, but even half, within 18 months of existence, is significant.
And with its growth momentum ramping up, it does look like Meta has another winner on its hands. At launch, Meta talked about Threads being the next “billion-user platform.” That seemed far-fetched at the time, but with Threads set to reach 500 million users before the middle of next year (based on growth trends), that may well seem inevitable, if not have already happened, by his time next year.
