On average, people spend 151 minutes daily on various social media platforms. Its become a routine to visit these sites and see what’s happening locally and globally. Twitter, now known as X, is one platform where people get the latest updates on various topics and events. But other players like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Mastodon and Bluesky exist in the social media landscape. How is Twitter different from other social media networks? Although social media is a place where people share content, each platform is unique.
Users are on these sites for various purposes, and there are nuances to the types of conversations. Today, let’s explore these differences to understand why millions of people flock to Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, daily.
How Is Twitter Different From Facebook?
Although Facebook’s roots go back to 2004, it was publicly available in 2006. Twitter, now X, also made its debut as a social media platform in 2006. However, they are distinct regarding features, what users talk about, and how people use the platform. Below, you’ll find the answer to the question: how is Twitter different from Facebook?
- The first differentiator between Twitter and Facebook is the content users share on the network. People come to Twitter to learn about the latest developments on any topic, industry, location or event. You get updates in real time, and it’s easy to track these developments. The latest news appears on top, and the older content goes down.
Conversely, Facebook acts more like a platform where you can connect with your friends and family. Almost everyone you know has an account on this site. This makes it easy to keep in touch with friends and family. Although you can get news from this platform, you must follow specific pages. Also, it’s not uncommon to come across lengthy posts.
Another difference is the length of the content. Sure, with Twitter Blue, you can now write essays and blog post-like articles in a single tweet. However, the primary reason people love Twitter is the short messaging style. This makes it easy to consume content, and you don’t have to spend much time on a single post. - Twitter provides the opportunity to connect with brands, celebrities, and public figures. The interaction is parasocial, which means you feel like they’re your friends or someone you know. However, Facebook doesn’t bring out this feeling, even though you can tag and message brands and celebrities. Twitter is truly a global town square where social status doesn’t matter.
How Is Twitter Different From Instagram?
Instagram and Twitter, now X, are worlds apart in every aspect. Whether it is the type of content, engagement or design, these platforms have distinct use cases. How is Twitter different from Instagram?
- X aka Twitter focuses on text-based content, allowing users to add photos, videos, GIFs, and polls. The timeline or Twitter feed design showcases how the platform prioritizes text. Regardless of what the tweet contains, you always see the text first.
However, Instagram’s priority is visual content. This is why every post always shows the media before the text. In fact, if the text is too long, the platform truncates it. - X/Twitter makes it straightforward to share links on the platform. Whether you want to link back to your blog or product, it’s easy. The social media network also shortens these links automatically, so you don’t have to worry about the character limit.
You can add links to your stories, bio and direct messages on Instagram. However, it’s not intuitive. If you want to share links to your blog, you have to change your profile’s bio or put out a story. Although you can add it to your post or replies, other users can’t interact with it. - On X, formally Twitter, you don’t only have to engage with your followers on the platform. You can direct them to another website and continue interacting with them. This is quite powerful and useful.
Instagram doesn’t allow you to do this. Instead, it wants you to keep your followers on the platform as long as possible.
How Is Twitter Different From Threads?
Threads from Instagram and X, formally Twitter, have a lot in common. The layout is similar, and so is the feed on your homepage. Both platforms focus on text-based content; you can see this in the design. Also, the engagement is similar, as are the apps’ icons. This brings you to the question—how is Twitter different from Threads?
- Although both are text-heavy, only X/Twitter has a web version you can access with your laptop, desktop or mobile browser. This is because Twitter was available before mobile apps became popular. If you try opening Threads through a browser, the site shows links to download the app.
- X, formally Twitter, does have an algorithmic feed, where you see a combination of tweets. They are from people you follow. Also, you’ll see tweets from other accounts based on your interests and online activity. There’s a timeline where you only see posts from people you follow in reverse chronological order. Also, you can customize your feed with lists to curate your timeline with tweets from specific accounts.
The Threads app didn’t have a feed for posts from accounts you follow until recently. Also, there is no way to personalize your feed other than by interacting with various threads. - You can run advertisements on X, formally Twitter, which appear in various sections of the platform. Businesses use this feature extensively to promote their products and services. Threads doesn’t have a framework for advertisements. But this can change over time once the platform gets more users and stabilizes the app.
- When you see a tweet, you can save it by bookmarking the post. This way, you can always come back and look at it another time. However, Threads is yet to offer this feature.
How Is Twitter Different From Reddit?
X aka Twitter and Reddit are two platforms where users can freely discuss various topics. But there are also stark differences between the two. You can find them in the content structure and moderation, the user base and the types of conversations. Let’s break down these instances to understand “How is Twitter different from Reddit?”
- Users on Twitter share information in excerpts in real time. The bite-sized nature of the content is the primary reason why news is popular. However, Reddit is a forum where users or Redditors share helpful information.
- Twitter’s character limit makes it the perfect place to have quick discussions. While you can use Twitter Blue and have lengthy conversations, it can turn away users. However, this isn’t the same on Reddit. Redditors have lengthy conversations and debates.
- The default feed on Twitter uses the algorithm to serve content. Or, you can create a list to control what you see. Reddit offers more options to customize your feed. You can see trending posts or the newest ones on the platform. It also shows you the site’s all-time top posts or the best ones for the day, week, month and year.
- X, formally known as Twitter, has a moderation team and a system to check users’ posts on their platform. Reddit takes a community moderation approach. Users can upvote or downvote various posts, similar to a like and dislike. Posts with more upvotes appear on top, while downvotes push them down. Also, there are volunteer moderators who set and enforce rules. Each community on Reddit has a separate set of rules.
How Is Mastodon Different From Twitter?
Mastodon, like Twitter and Threads, is a micro-blogging social media platform. It has a similar interface and emphasizes text over everything else. So, how is Mastodon different from Twitter?
- Mastodon calls its posts tots, which can contain up to 500 characters. X or Twitter has a default 280-character limit for tweets for free users. Twitter Blue subscribers get a massive bump to 25,000 characters. Mastodon replaces likes with favorites and uses boosts for retweets. However, it doesn’t have the quote retweet feature like Twitter. It also lacks advanced search. You can look for tweets based on dates, engagement and specific words on Twitter.
- X Corp. owns and runs X, formally Twitter, controls content moderation, and establishes rules and policies. Mastodon hands this power over to the users. People can create different servers or instances for specific topics of interest. Each community has a different set of rules and content moderation policies. As a result, what is acceptable in one instance may be offensive in another community.
- How is Twitter different from Mastadon? X aka Twitter has two primary timelines. The For You feed uses the algorithm, while Following is for tweets only from accounts you follow. You can also create lists and pin up to five of them to create separate feeds. Mastodon has three different timelines. The Home feed or timeline is for users you follow on the platform. Local is posts or messages from members of the instance or community. Federated refers to public posts from people belonging to different communities.
- X, previously Twitter, allows brands and individuals to run advertisements, a significant source of income for the company. However, Mastodon doesn’t have this feature, nor will it make it available. The platform wants to steer clear of advertisements and promoted posts.
How Is Bluesky Different From Twitter?
Bluesky also joins the ranks of Twitter, Threads and Mastodon as a site for microblogs. It is still in beta, and only recently was it possible to download the apps on iOS and Android devices. Jack Dorsey, the former co-founder of Twitter, is one of the board members. Everyone has the same question on their minds: how is Bluesky different from Twitter?
- Anyone can create an X or Twitter account and join any conversation on the platform. Bluesky, as the app is still in beta, is only available to those with an invite. In other words, a Bluesky user has to share the invitation code with you if you want to create an account.
- X or Twitter relies on marketers to run advertisements on their platform to generate revenue. Another source of income is from the paid Twitter API. Also, the platform generates revenue from Twitter Blue and Verified Organizations subscribers. How is Twitter different from other social networks? Bluesky’s goal is to avoid relying on advertisers to make their platform reliable. Instead, they raise funds from investors and provide paid services. Currently, you can buy custom domains from Bluesky.
- What happens on Twitter stays on Twitter. In other words, you can’t take your tweets to other platforms. For example, you can’t simultaneously post a tweet on Twitter and Instagram. Bluesky is working on the AT Protocol, a decentralized network. This allows other developers to create apps using the same protocols. As a result, users and posts can move within these protocols, regardless of the app.
What Is the Difference Between Twitter and LinkedIn?
How is Twitter different from other social media networks, say LinkedIn? Knowing the disparities between both platforms provides insight on how to make the most of these sites. Given below are key differences you must know:
- X, formally known as Twitter, is for everyone. Whether you’re a brand, individual, organization or government institution, you can create an account on the platform. LinkedIn is mainly for companies and professionals who want to network and grow.
- There are all types of content on X aka Twitter. You only need to know what you want to see in your timeline. You will come across sensitive content containing adult material and sexual behavior. The platform also allows graphic content.
- As LinkedIn is for professionals, all the content is along the same lines. People share their professional achievements on this platform. The focus is on keeping the conversations business-oriented.
How X, or Twitter, is Different: In Summary
You now know the answer to the question, “How is Twitter different from other social networks?” Remember, there isn’t one superior platform. Rather, each one comes with its unique set of benefits and drawbacks. For example, one of the downsides of X/Twitter is the lack of a bulk-delete feature. This is limiting, especially if you want to remove hundreds of old tweets from your account. For instance, there is some personal information in your posts that you don’t want people to see. Or you want to delete those tweets from a decade ago as you know they will affect your reputation.
Fortunately, you can rely on TweetEraser to do the job. The easy-to-use interface ensures you will find any tweet in your profile, regardless of how old the posts are. Safeguard your reputation with TweetEraser today!
