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Early this month, we wrote an article about a Twitter alternative that Meta is working on codenamed “P92”. Well, P92 has a real name now, “Barcelona,” and it’s coming along fast.
Meta’s Twitter Alternative
As more and more Twitter users are leaving the platform after Elon Musk’s takeover, Meta is looking to take advantage of the situation by constructing a Twitter-like app. If the app ever comes to futurition, they will be able to scoop up Twitter cast-offs and give them a new home.
“We’re 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.” –Meta confirmed to Platformer in early March
Instagram For Your Thoughts
At least in this internal version, the standalone app is now being sold as “Instagram for your thoughts,” as you can see in the image posted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi.
The concept looks to be a text-based feed of posts that tries to capitalize on the growing popularity of private chat in a more expansive, accessible manner, albeit the launch date is only a placeholder at this time.
This feature won’t be something that is totally new to Meta users as Instagram recently launched feature “Broadcast Channels” serve a similar purpose. Broadcast Channels were made to capitalize on the trend of debate moving away from public feeds and toward messaging chats by giving creators and their fans a more private, close-knit discussion interface.
Barcelona seems similar, but it’s a specific app where users can follow people and keep up with their text updates.
Here’s what we know about the Barcelona app so far:
- Barcelona will be a separate app, which will use your Instagram credentials to log in
- As you can see in the above screenshots, Barcelona will also use your Instagram ID as your username in the new app
- The maximum length for Barcelona posts will be 500 characters
- Barcelona will be decentralized, though it’s not entirely clear what that means in a Meta context as yet
Can Meta Do It?
The difficulty for Meta in this situation is that the majority of companies are already using Twitter and are accustomed to posting updates there.
Many current Twitter users would need to switch over for a new app to be established as a viable alternative, and only then would it be truly beneficial with the same influential Twitter users posting in the new arena.
Making that happen will take some time, but perhaps by utilizing its scale, Meta is in a better position than others to develop the next Twitter, which could experience widespread adaption and scalability.
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