Mark Zuckerberg is looking to launch a new platform to rival Twitter
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is considering creating a standalone, text-based social network that could rival Twitter.
Meta, which is the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, has said it is ‘exploring’ the idea as it believes there’s ‘an opportunity’ for a ’decentralized social network’.
In a statement to the BBC a Meta spokesperson said: "We're exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates.
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"We believe there's an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests."
As yet, Meta hasn’t given a timeframe or a planned released date for the app.
According to a report from MoneyControl, which first broke the story, the new app would be Instagram-branded and users would be able to log-in using their current Instagram credentials.
It is believed the platform will support a decentralized social networking protocol called ActivityPub, which is already used by Twitter rivals including Mastodon.
In a tweet, Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk appeared to take a swipe at Zuckerberg over the news branding him a ‘copycat’.
Replying to a post about why Zuckerberg would choose to ‘launch a rival to Twitter’, Musk wrote ‘copy’ alongside a cat emoji.
Meta’s announcement comes as several alternatives to Twitter gained traction following the social media platform’s takeover by billionaire Musk.
According to a report by Sky News, searches for the words ‘Twitter alternatives’ spiked around October 28 - the day it was confirmed Musk would be taking over.
It was also reported that downloads for rival social networks Mastodon and Hive Social had eclipsed those of Twitter on several occasions during early and mid-November.
Back in December, Mastodon creator Eugen Rochko said millions of new users had signed up in recent weeks.
He said in a statement at the time: "Mastodon has recently exploded in popularity, jumping from approx. 300K monthly active users to 2.5M between the months of October and November, with more and more journalists, political figures, writers, actors and organizations moving over.”
Meanwhile, Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey launched his own decentralized social platform Bluesky.
The new social network was launched on App Store a few back but is listed as a ‘private beta’ and, as such, is currently strictly invite only.
Dorsey has previously said his newest venture would be ‘a competitor to any company trying to own the underlying fundamentals for social media or the data of the people using it’.
Topics: Technology, Facebook, Twitter, Social Media, Mark Zuckerberg
Claire Reid