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This might help explain the spectacular launch of Threads (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by MusketeerX@lemmy.world to c/fediverse@lemmy.world

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Automatically creating a shadow account for everyone on Instagram?

Even allowing people to follow that account?

Sounds like they really wanted to push Threads out the door in a big way.

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[-] fer0n@lemm.ee 155 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They’re not creating a shadow account, you’re literally logging in with your instagram account.

What this post is implying, is that the user numbers are just existing instagram accounts, which doesn’t make sense because in that case they’d have 2 billion users within the first second.

You can follow/request to follow before the user has actually "created" the account, so they’re lying about which users have done that already, not about how many users they actually have.

Come at me downvotes

[-] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 36 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I signed up for it, they have an option for you to pre-follow people for when they sign up to threads

[-] MusketeerX@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

Does that person who has been pre-followed then get a notification to join and respond/follow back?

Because that would be a great way to boost the new service exponentially.

[-] vizhal007@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

Yes they do

[-] mizu6079@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

You can't really follow someone until they've made an account. Threads has an option where you can go into settings and find a list of your Instagram following list. From there, you can make it so you follow certain people as soon as they join Threads.

[-] fer0n@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I hate meta just like the next person, but I‘m not sure how that’s supposed to boost accounts, since you’re literally just seeing these once you already have the account.

They are of course using their advantage in providing you your existing following list /followers. And they’re definitely happy to push it, but this post is implying something that strikes me as plain wrong.