For those of you who aren’t that familiar with me, you may be surprised to hear that social media is my least favorite way to build a brand. It’s so time consuming, it’s sometimes hard to figure out what the return is and honestly-as the years go on, I’m finding social increasingly more boring and more overwhelming in a negative way. I broke up with TikTok in 2023 because I just wasn’t that interested and the feed was way too fast. It was hard to find and fall in love with creators because they often had the worst handles and I’d scrolled through 27 other videos before realizing that the first one was my favorite. Facebook is just a snoozefest even though it does convert if you’re trying to sell something and Twitter is a painful place to be. With all of those negative perceptions about social media you’ll likely be surprised that I’m going to argue that Threads is THE social media platform of 2026. Everyone else is getting it wrong.
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Are You On Threads
In a world of way too many social media platforms, I’ve decided to focus on using one platform in particular.
Threads.
If you were an avid Twitter fan before, then there are many things about Threads that you’ll like a lot. I’m going to share the one thing that is missing and then all of the components to Threads that I love.
Dislike
I really wish that there was a live audio feature similar to the Twitter spaces experience. For me, that’s the one thing that’s really missing from the platform.
I also dislike how tethered Threads is to your Instagram profile. They cannot exist separately from one another which is really annoying.
Finally, social share buttons very rarely include a way to share direct to Threads. The default is always Twitter which I find incredibly annoying.
Like
There are several components from a users perspective that I truly love about using Threads. Here they are in no particular order.
- The Geo-Targeting is Insane-This is hardly surprising given that Threads is a Meta platform and Meta has the Facebook Pixel.
- There is a DM feature that you can use…if you want. Interestingly, users have been slow to adapt to this feature. If you’re focused on building a business, it’s an important feature to have access to.
- You Can Add Your Podcast To Your Profile-This one is actually HUGE. I love the fact that we can see the show art and click through to someone’s show. I’ve already discovered several new shows to me because of this feature.
- Ghost Threads-This is such a unique feature. Users can share a thread that will disappear in 24 hours. This definitely adds a gamification experience to the platform.
- Seemingly Lack of a Penalty for Adding Outbound Links-I love that I can share links to my website, podcasts or livestreams and it doesn’t feel like (so far) that my profile hasn’t been suppressed for adding outbound links. I can grow pageviews on my website, podcast downloads and product purchases.
- Good Content Goes Viral Often-People more often than not, will see a couple of your more compelling Threads. It’s kind of amazing to me.
- Content Eco-Systems-I think using and understanding this feature will really pay off as the platform continues to age.
- Threads is a surprisingly funny social platform-I find myself laughing out loud often when I scrolling through the feed. Users make really annoying things super funny.
Threads Is Fun to Use
As long as you block any crazy people or anyone problematic that what get on your nerves. I have a pretty good feed because I don’t give second chances. If you’re annoying, crazy or too weird-you’re blocked. I’ve also met a number of people that I’ve connected with via Threads. I have a process and the focus is always safety first.
I’d also like to mention what it’s like to be on Threads with a couple of stories and experiences.
- There was a woman traveling through Denver International Airport who overheard a woman named Meghan’s boyfriend talking shit about her (while she wasn’t around) So, the woman posted on Threads looking for Meghan and THREADS FOUND MEGHAN.
- Just this week a woman randomly found a box of personal photos at a random flea market out East. The woman realized that those were Ricki Lake’s personal photos and then went to Threads to find out how she could get in touch with Ricki Lake and send her the box of photos. This ended up being a huge deal because Ricki Lake’s house burned down in the fires earlier this year. And, yes, she found Ricki Lake who posted about this online.
- The Black Books Threads are insane! I have so many books to read by Black authors that I’m overwhelmed in the best of ways by this opportunity. I’ve also seen similar book threads for other marginalized communities.
- Crowdsourcing unique projects such as the Periods of Transition project focused on providing menstrual products for unemployed people. Taylor DeBerry is the founder of this initiative.
- Then there’s the wild situations like the 1st Class Boarding Pass guy who uploaded his boarding pass onto Threads and people ended up changing, adding and canceling his reservation.
Threads has a very real community and anti-bro culture which is astonishing to me for a big tech social platform. Let’s enjoy it while it lasts. Are you on Threads? Let me know what your experience has been like on the platform.
The Anti-Grifters Social Club Virtual Summit
For the past year myself, Corey Gumbs founder of The Black Podcasters Association and Angela Hollowell founder of Please Hustle Responsibly and Melanin MVP have collaborated on a weekly livestream called “Shh, We’re Talking” We’ve decided to dip our toe in the online summit space and will be hosting our first ever Anti-Grifters Social Club Virtual Summit focused on the power of storytelling. Hang with us for for this 2-day event featuring curated talks that will get your 2026 started on the right foot! We’re giving our Substack live experience an upgrade.
This two-day free event will be from 1:00 pm MTN-5:00 pm MTN or 3-7PM EST on February 19th and 20th. Make sure to sign up at creatorsgettingpaid.com/anti today to save your spot today
