Tech giant Meta has announced plans to launch an app that will compete directly with Twitter. In a statement to Reuters, a Meta spokesperson said the company is “exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates” and believes there is “an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.” The new application will be built on a framework similar to Mastodon, a Twitter‑like service launched in 2016.
The move reflects Meta’s broader effort to retain users across its social networks amid an aging user base and growing competition from platforms such as TikTok. Forbes reported in February 2022 that Facebook, one of Meta’s flagship platforms, lost roughly 500,000 daily users in the last quarter of 2021.
If successful, Meta’s new app could pose a significant challenge to Twitter, which was recently acquired by Elon Musk. Musk bought the platform for about $43 billion last year and has since cut costs through massive layoffs. His stance against censorship and other policy decisions have upset many advertisers, leading several to pull their funding from the company.
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