JEE News reported Friday that Meta-owned Instagram is planning to develop a text-based app to compete with Twitter.
People familiar with the matter told the media outlet that the company is testing the app with celebrities and influencers.
The project has been available to select creators for months, one of the people told JEE News.
Leah Haberman, who teaches social and influencer marketing at UCLA, said the platform will be separate from Instagram but will have the option to allow users to connect accounts.
He said that the app could be introduced by June this year.
Haberman provided a brief description of the new app and said it may be compatible with other rival Twitter apps, including Mastodon.
Since Elon Musk’s tumultuous takeover of Twitter, which has led to some drastic changes to the app, including a paid subscription, users have started looking for other options.
“Historically, we know Meta likes to sample and recreate features from other apps and third-party tools, based on what they expect to be popular with their users,” Haberman said.
He noted that Musk has talked about turning Twitter into an “everything app,” with many features beyond informative posts.
“Based on Meta’s track record of borrowing from other platforms, it’s more likely that they’ll get there first by consolidating all the experiences they’re building.”
