Threads Vs ChatGPT, Is It A Contest Really?

Recently, Meta's Threads outpaced ChatGPT to become the fastest-growing online platform, achieving a remarkable milestone by amassing over 100 million users within a mere five days since its launch. This extraordinary feat was attributed to the fierce competition between Threads and ChatGPT, akin to a digital tug-of-war.

The battle for dominance between these two applications garnered attention, with even a UBS study highlighting Threads' surge to 100 million users in record time, surpassing the historical achievement of OpenAI's ChatGPT, which reached the same mark just two months after its own launch in January.

While social media has dominantly ruled human lives for more than a decade, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) now appears set to play a pivotal role as well. Nevertheless, it is evident that the race for app popularity has been anything but a balanced contest.

User Sign Up

Threads, Instagram's application, is readily available for download on both the App Store and Play Store. Once users have installed Threads, they can conveniently log in using their existing Instagram credentials. During the initial login, it is mandatory for users to import their Instagram profile details.

On the contrary, ChatGPT operates as a web application accessible through any web browser. While there is no official Windows version of the chatbot, users can access ChatGPT by signing up via email on browsers like Microsoft Edge and Chrome. Additionally, for mobile users, the ChatGPT mobile app is accessible on the App Store in more than 32 countries and plans for an Android version launch are currently underway.

Features

A micro-blogging platform, Threads aims to prioritise public dialogues over private communications. The application, known for its strong resemblance to Twitter, allows 500 characters of text posts and 5 minutes of video upload in comparison to Elon Musk’s microblogging app which permits 280 text tweets and 2 minutes and 20 seconds of video posts for unpaid users.

However, unlike its rival social networking platform, Threads lacks features like hashtags, trending stories and direct messaging.

Whereas, developed with the core function to mimic a human conversation, the ChatGPT is versatile. It can write, translate and summarise the text. The chatbot can even debug computer programs.

User Engagement

Threads and ChatGPT offer distinct engagement features. In Threads, users can interact through liking and commenting on posts. Moreover, it facilitates reposting, quoting, and sharing options, enabling a variety of interactions. The activity tab within Threads provides valuable insights into profile engagement, such as follower count, post likes, replies, and tags.

Conversely, ChatGPT serves as a valuable tool for effective client engagement across social media platforms. By leveraging AI technology, it empowers businesses to create captivating and interactive consumer experiences through compelling text-based content. This enables brands to establish meaningful connections with their audience, fostering deeper engagement and satisfaction.

Experts Say

Devdatta Potnis, CEO, Animeta said, “The two entities are fundamentally different and cannot be reasonably compared. While ChatGPT offers knowledge, learning and research capabilities, Thread serves as a platform of expression.”

“It's like comparing Amazon Prime’s delivery service with Netflix as an OTT platform. If we have to compare the utility and retention of Threads Vs ChatGPT, the utility-driven usage of ChatGPT provides a strong retention point. For Threads, whose rapid popularity of 100 million hits also had the bundling/integration with an established platform like Instagram as a strong propelling factor. Both of them even have distinct user experiences,” Potnis added.

He further emphasised that while Thread provided user-friendliness from day one, users had to engage with ChatGPT to understand its capabilities over time. “The comparison between the two is not appropriate, as they address different needs of users and operate on a different level from each other.”

On similar lines, Chhavi Mittal, Digital Creator at SIT said ChatGPT and Threads for me are chalk and cheese. One is based completely on AI and the other is a social media platform. “While ChatGPT is serving a different purpose altogether, giving the user the tools to articulate, giving them the material to use on social media platforms, or equipping users with powers magnified by AI, Threads may develop as another advertiser-led platform,” Mittal said.

“Currently, users are enjoying ‘being themselves’ on Threads and putting themselves out there, no strings attached, though I feel it will move really quickly toward advertising. I'm unsure of the word limit but it's definitely more than what Twitter allows and combined with the allowance of external link placements, it is particularly appealing to me. As far as the user base is concerned, Threads has a definite advantage over ChatGPT since it automatically picked up the entire user base of Instagram. It is unfair to compare its growth with ChatGPT which built its user base from scratch,” she added.

Meanwhile, Aashna Iyer, Director - Growth Engagements at BC Web Wise underlined that the ‘Threads Vs ChatGPT’ is not an ‘apples-to-apples’ comparison. She stressed that currently there is a rush to adopt generative AI to mark a stark positive difference in productivity, effectiveness and quality. The smart tool enables users to build top engagement on any application.

“ChatGPT and Threads are totally different in terms of their USPs, it’s like expecting Instagram to give you a slice of reality or Wikipedia to help you create a social persona,” Iyer added. She emphasised that Threads is a social media platform and most definitely a counter to Twitter, but it comes enriched with the learnings from Twitter and from Meta.

Commenting on the 100 million users record, Iyer said, “Threads picked up the record because of its onboard IG users. The Director underlined also fears some situation of losing an Instagram account is dissuading users from deleting the Meta app.”

Addressing the notable distinction between ChatGPT and Threads, Anil Somani, the Executive Chairman of FOSTIIMA Business School said, ChatGPT was specifically developed to refine user perspectives and frame statements in a more appropriate manner, providing an advanced conversational experience.

Somani highlighted that the chatbot's focus on precision and accuracy ensures a refined interaction. In contrast, Threads allows users to post content more bluntly, without the intervention of AI.