Meta-owned Instagram is planning to roll out a text-based app for competing with Twitter, Bloomberg reported Friday.
People familiar with the matter told the media outlet that the company is testing the app with celebrities and influencers.
One of the people told Bloomberg that the project has been available to select creators for months.
Lia Haberman, who teaches social and influencer marketing at UCLA, said the platform would be separate from Instagram but would have the option to allow users to connect accounts.
The app may be rolled out by June this year, she said.
Haberman
provided a brief description of the new app and according to that, it could
be compatible with other Twitter competitor apps, including Mastodon.
Since
Elon Musk's chaotic takeover of Twitter, which has led to some drastic
changes in the app including the paid subscription, users have started to
look for other options.
“Historically, we know Meta likes to sample and recreate
features from other apps and third-party tools based on what they anticipate
being popular with their users,” Haberman said.
She noted that
Musk has talked about turning Twitter into an "everything app," with a lot
of features besides informational posts.
"Based on Meta’s track
record borrowing from other platforms, it’s much more likely they’ll get
there first by consolidating all these experiences they’re building."
