Paul Cantrell

It is entirely plausible, and in keeping with Facebook’s history of stats inflation, for what @h_tejas describes here to be a significant factor in the putative Threads usage numbers we’re seeing in the press: https://newsie.social/@h_tejas/110679571579271122

Suppose for example that one can become a Threads “user” by receiving a follow request from Threads to one’s Insta account. Entirely plausible.

As always, I’d welcome a more skeptical and investigation-minded press.

Tejas Harad (@[email protected])

My partner just created her #Threads account and the account that showed up on top as suggestion to follow was mine. However, I don't have a Threads account. Basically, anyone who has an Instagram account, #Meta is automatically creating a shadow account for them and also allowing users to follow those shadow accounts. My partner had tonnes of follow requests as soon as she made the account.

Newsie
Jul 8, 2023 at 11:15pmWeb
Show threadDeelightFullJul 8, 2023
@inthehands @h_tejas I deactivated my IG in early 2021 when they announced the integration of messenger and FB into one. So someone messaging you on IG would go through Messenger without the same privacy considerations. This sound like the same model.
Show threadDr. Eric J. Fielding, PhDJul 8, 2023
@DeelightFull2022 @inthehands @h_tejas As I understand it, this is the kind of automatic accounts that the EU is banning or going to ban soon, which explains why Threads is not launched there.