#19: Is Threads the New Twitter?

Episode 19: Today's news in English will look at Instagram’s new app, Threads. Please find the full transcript here. 

Transcript

Hello my beautiful students and welcome back to English News Pod, the best way for you to learn practical English through the news. I’m your host and teacher, Caroline. 

In this episode, we’ll be discussing a new trend in the world of social media - the rise of a new app called 'Threads', and whether or not it could be the new Twitter. A full transcript of this podcast episode is available in the description.

The social media landscape is buzzing once again, as a new player, 'Threads', emerges onto the scene. Unlike the usual post-and-scroll format of other social media platforms, Threads focuses on fostering discussions across a vast range of topics. Users can actively participate in or simply observe these conversations, leading to a more engaged and meaningful social media experience. But how does this potentially threaten Twitter? Well, Twitter, known for its bite-sized posts and real-time updates, has always been a go-to platform for quick news and immediate reactions. 

However, the depth of conversation and engagement on Twitter can sometimes be lacking. Threads, with its focus on more substantial, thread-based discussions, provides an alternative that some users might find more fulfilling. In addition, Threads seems to have identified a niche for users who prefer thoughtful discussions over quick-fire tweets. It's a different kind of social networking, one that could potentially attract a substantial user base from Twitter. If Threads continues its current growth trajectory, it could become a serious competitor for Twitter.

One more time, but this time faster...

Let’s take a look at some grammar:

1. 'Buzzing' - this word can be used to describe a place or situation full of activity or excitement. In our news segment, we used 'buzzing' as an adjective to describe the active and dynamic state of the social media landscape. This adjective comes from the verb ‘to buzz’, which is the sound that the insect bees make!
2. 'Threaten' - threaten is a verb that means to pose a danger or risk to something. When we say 'Threads potentially threatens Twitter', we're suggesting that Threads could be a risk to Twitter's success or dominance.
3. 'Niche’ - this term refers to a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service. In our story, we used 'niche' to describe the specific type of social media users that Threads seems to appeal to.
4. ‘Quick fire’ - quick fire is used to describe something that is rapid, or fast. The phrase comes from the context of shooting guns very rapidly. In this news story, we are talking about Twitter having quick fire tweets, or people tweeting very quickly on Twitter.
5. 'Growth trajectory' - this phrase refers to the path or rate of growth for a company or product. When we say 'Threads continues its current growth trajectory', we're suggesting that Threads is on a path of fast growth.

That wraps us up for today. If you liked this podcast, please subscribe and follow.

Thanks for listening, and I will see you soon for more news in English!