Marketer response to Meta reportedly building its own decentralized Twitter clone app this summer is tepid, three industry leads told Adweek. That’s mostly due to questions circling around the platform’s handling of data, adoption and monetization.
Meta is reportedly working on a text-based app that would compete against Twitter, which has had its fair share of tribulations since Elon Musk took over last year.
Meta’s app, codenamed P92, or Barcelona, will be partially integrated with Instagram. Meta is currently seeking agency partners to approach celebrities, high-profile stars, and big influencers to offer early access to the platform as soon as this week, according to an internal email sent by a talent agency that works with A-list celebrities and influencers, seen by Adweek.
The email states that this will not be a paid partnership with the agency. Meta is holding direct calls with individual celebrities or their representatives to entice them to be the first users of the app, Adweek has learned.
“I don’t jump with joy and excitement at the immediate breaking news,” said Avi Ben-Zvi, vp of paid social at Tinuiti. “There are so many things that have to happen, like user adoption, before it becomes something really serious from an advertising perspective.”
Meta has not returned a request for comment.
Meta’s Twitter-killer app comes at a time when Twitter’s future still remains dubious, but slightly more hopeful after ad leader Linda Yaccarino was announced as CEO earlier this month. Many of Twitter’s advertisers fled the platform over brand safety concerns. Meanwhile, a recent study by Pew Research Center found that 60% of the platform’s users have taken a break from the app in the past year, while other apps such as Mastodon and BlueSky have tried to capture that audience.
What we do know is people will keep their Instagram handle and verification, while their followers will receive a notification to follow them on the yet-to-be-named platform. Meta’s text-based app will be interoperable with Twitter competitor Mastodon and people can attach links, photos, and videos up to five minutes long, according to Lia Haberman, author of social media newsletter ICYMI, who shared leaked details about the app.
