Instagram is reportedly testing a Twitter competitor — and the first leaked images indicate a summer release
Meta, Tyler Le/Insider
- Meta is reportedly pitching celebrities and influencers to join its "Instagram for your thoughts."
- A new report from the Substack of Lia Haberman cites conversations with a creator who met with Meta about the app.
- Initial images of the app in marketing materials make it look like a mix of Twitter and Instagram.
The "Instagram for your thoughts" being built by Meta to compete with Elon Musk's Twitter could launch as soon as next month, according to several reports.
Meta is meeting with influencers to discuss the app's future, according to reports from Bloomberg and The Verge that cite Lia Haberman, a Substack writer who teaches about social and influencer marketing at UCLA.
Haberman posted in a Friday newsletter and on Twitter what appear to be the first images of the still-unnamed app. The images were apparently part of a marketing slide describing how the app will work.
—Lia Haberman (@liahaberman) May 19, 2023
Citing conversations with "a creator who met with Meta," Haberman confirmed some previously reported details about the app, including plans for it to be decentralized, reported by Platformer in March. She also reported that the app could be released as soon as next month.
Bloomberg confirmed part of Haberman's report, as it cited people familiar with the matter who said the app is being tested with celebrities and influencers, and has been available to "select creators" for testing purposes for months.
The Twitter competitor has been referred to as "Project 92, P92, and Barcelona" in previous reports, but no official name or details about the app or how it will work have been publicly confirmed by Meta or Instagram.
The app may be compatible with other apps like Mastodon, allowing users to search across apps, Haberman reported. The app will reportedly allow users to log in with an Instagram account's existing username and password, and profile details like username, verification, and a user's bio will carry over.
Posts can be up to 500 characters, and include photos and videos up to five minutes long, per Haberman's reporting. The app will operate based on Instagram existing guidelines, and blocked accounts and words a user has chosen to hide from their feed will also carry over.
Users unhappy with Elon Musk's ownership of Twitter have flocked to several alternatives since he took over in November, like Post, Mastodon, and Bluesky, although none have yet gained sustained momentum or drawn enough public figures to dethrone the social media network.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the most recent reports.
In March, the company told Platformer it was "exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there's an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests."