According to sources, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) has shared plans with its staff for a text-based social network that aims to compete with Twitter. The platform is said to allow users to follow accounts they already follow on Instagram, Meta’s image-sharing app. Additionally, it might enable users to import their followers from decentralized platforms like Mastodon.
A spokesperson from Meta has confirmed that the company is indeed working on the development of a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. The spokesperson expressed the belief that there is an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.
Chris Cox, Meta’s chief product officer, has revealed that coding is currently underway for the platform. While no specific release date has been provided, Meta aims to launch it soon, with speculation suggesting a possible release by the end of June.
Leaked screenshots of the new platform have surfaced online, reportedly shown internally to Meta employees. Sources within the company have confirmed the authenticity of these leaked screenshots. If accurate, the layout of the platform appears to be reminiscent of Twitter, making it familiar to users already accustomed to the Twitter interface.
The upcoming text-based social network, tentatively named P92, has the potential to pose a significant challenge to Elon Musk’s Twitter, surpassing both BlueSky and Mastodon in terms of rivalry.
Starting afresh on a new social network and building a community from scratch can be a daunting task, which is why P92 may have an advantage. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, boasts a massive user base of approximately two billion users, dwarfing Twitter’s estimated 300 million user count (although Twitter’s current figures cannot be verified).
If even a modest 25% of Instagram users can be enticed to join P92 (which is likely to be rebranded with a more appealing name upon its launch), the new platform would instantly surpass its older rival in terms of size and reach.
Meta acknowledges drawing “inspiration” from other products, although some may view it less favorably, pointing out that Facebook’s Stories feature was influenced by Snapchat, and Instagram’s Reels bears a striking resemblance to TikTok.
Twitter has faced criticism in recent months regarding its content moderation practices and, in May, withdrew from the European Union’s voluntary disinformation code. It has been reported that under Elon Musk’s leadership, moderation on Twitter has been reduced, leading to concerns about the spread of disinformation.
However, Musk contends that there is now “less misinformation rather than more” since he assumed control of Twitter in October 2022.
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