Why Threads is instantly standard in Taiwan

Nonetheless, Threads’ recognition plummeted after its launch in July 2023. In Taiwan—like the remainder of the world—many customers left the platform after satisfying their preliminary curiosity. 

However the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election gave it one other likelihood. Wang, who research social media in Taiwan, traced the platform’s second rise to November of final yr, beginning with the supporters of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Celebration (DPP), usually related to the colour inexperienced. “Many (nervous) pan-green supporters seen that their complaints on politics have been promoted to extra readers on Threads than some other social media platforms (particularly Fb and Instagram), so an increasing number of pan-green supporters gathered to Threads and used it as a mobilization device,” he says.

The election concluded in mid-January, with DPP candidate Lai Ching-te elected as Taiwan’s president. Many supporters of his occasion stayed on the platform. And because it grew to become influential, different political figures additionally reactivated their Threads accounts and began posting usually, making an attempt to hitch the dialog. On a regular basis customers who’re much less excited by politics got here alongside too.

On nearly every single day of the previous three months, Threads has been essentially the most downloaded social community app in each Apple’s and Android’s app shops in Taiwan, in keeping with Sensor Tower, an app retailer intelligence agency. It surpassed each Western social platforms and people standard in China. 

What does Taiwan Threads appear to be?

Wang, who has been actively posting on Threads and gathered over 3,000 followers, observes that there are two main demographics amongst Taiwan’s Threads customers at this time: the pro-green voters, and youthful college students who’re nonetheless in center college and highschool. “In current weeks, there’s a appreciable quantity of debate on how to decide on faculties, majors, and even excessive colleges,” he says.

Since Threads doesn’t have an official title in Chinese language, Taiwanese customers have tried to translate it in inventive methods. Some keep near the which means and name it 串 or chuan, which implies a string of beads or different objects (it might additionally imply a kebab skewer). Others name it 脆 or cui, which implies crispy or fragile. It’s a transliteration try that many really feel is just too far-fetched, however since there’s no sound like “th” in Mandarin, it’s the most effective various, and it has already caught on among the many customers and surpassed different names. 

What defines the content material on Threads is a mixture of political and life-style posts. On the one hand, a few of the most influential accounts are Taiwanese politicians in any respect ranges, together with the presidential candidates. On the opposite, Threads customers have embraced a sort of content material known as 廢文—a cross between trash speak and light-stakes monologue. 

Consequently, to realize a following on Threads, the most effective apply is to combine up the intense and the unserious. One native consultant candidate grew to become unexpectedly well-known when folks found that his son was bodily engaging. Joking about how this son’s virality has eclipsed his personal, the politician now calls himself “The daddy of the son of Phoenix Cheng” on Threads, the place he has over 268,000 followers.