US lawmakers wary of threads, but about half subscribe

WASHINGTON – Hundreds of lawmakers quickly signed up for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s new app, Threads. The fastest growing social media network in the world and potential threats to Twitter.

The latest online platforms come amid years of Democrats and Republicans scrutinizing the market power of big tech and the data privacy and content practices of social media companies.

Most recently, he has criticized technology leaders for censorship allegations, misinformation, illegal activities on their sites, and algorithms that promote so-called harmful content to children, including eating disorders, harassment, and substance abuse. there is

For now, lawmakers seem to have largely set those concerns aside rather than risk missing out on a popular new communication tool.

Nearly half of Congress — at least 194 members of Congress and 48 members of the Senate — are among the more than 100 million users who have joined Threads since its launch on July 6, according to a Bloomberg government survey. there is

Democrats have so far outnumbered Republicans on the platform, but both parties agree it’s another way to get the message across to the American people.

Democrats, who generally post more on social media than Republicans, have the fastest pace of thread participation in the House, with at least 142 members creating accounts compared to 52 Republicans.

While the initial divide may disappear as the app takes hold, part of the explosion may be the result of growing disdain by Democrats. Twitter overhauled by Elon Musk.

Since Tesla’s chief executive bought the app last fall, there have been mass layoffs and significant changes to content moderation and verification rules. Republicans, meanwhile, are slowly falling in love with Musk, who has voiced his support for the party.

Several new apps raced to replace Twitter. But nothing has shocked the industry more than Threads. Still, none of the lawmakers spoken to by the Bloomberg government about the thread were willing to switch platforms and delete Twitter entirely.

Many lawmakers took to social media, but said they were open to joining Threads or creating accounts.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat who has 240,000 followers but hasn’t posted in the thread yet, welcomed more competition. But she added, “Having two billionaires instead of one billionaire and each shutting themselves in their closets and making up their own rules isn’t the solid competition we need.” rice field.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley, who has 1.4 million followers on Twitter, said he has no plans to join Threads but would consider joining if it helps him communicate with voters.

“My general approach is that I don’t like social media. . “This is not what I’m excited about.”

Democratic Senator Jamal Bowman is similarly critical. His team created his personal and parliamentary accounts on the thread, with a combined 32,000 followers, but he’s yet to get involved.

“I disagree with Zuckerberg, so I’m against it,” Bowman said. “I am waiting for more women, people of color, and more working class people to build social media platforms and engage us in ways that make us better as a society. “