A Few Things — Friday Link List

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Thoughts on Threads

Happy Friday. I’m so glad you’re here. Did you see the news about Threads? It’s a new social media platform, launched by Instagram (therefore owned by Meta), that is designed as a direct competitor to Twitter. I’ve been using it for a couple of days (I’m designmom on Threads if you’d like to see what I’ve been up to), and I’m very fascinated by the roll-out and reactions so far. Threads had 10 million new users register in the first 7 hours of launch, which was only two and half days ago. Most recently, I’ve heard the number of users is up to 55 million.

Some of my thoughts:

-If you already have an Instagram account, it’s super easy to use Threads, you download the app and then it recognizes your Instagram and you’re in. You don’t have to set up a profile or log-in. I’m sure that’s a big part of why so many users jumped on so quickly. It’s really easy — the easiest platform onboarding I’ve ever encountered.

-A lot of people are very angry about what Elon Musk has done to Twitter. It’s a much weaker platform now than when he took over, and is increasingly a white supremacist chat forum. I loved Twitter and I feel pure rage when I think of what Musk has done. But will using a site owned by Mark Zuckerberg be any better?

-Lots of different platforms trying to replace Twitter have launched recently. I have accounts on Mastadon, Spoutible, and Bluesky. But none of them have the huge user base that Threads already has. And you have to have a big base in order to have lots of great content. Can they compete with Threads?

-Threads is still very new. It’s fresh and positive and the chatter seems happy and lightweight. After a couple of days on Threads, I went back to Twitter this morning. Even with Twitter in a weakened state, I observed that I learned more, found several articles I wanted to read, and laughed much more on Twitter. It felt like Twitter was smarter and funnier. Of course, Threads is only a couple days old, and it may catch up. Or it may turn in to something completely different than Twitter. It will be interesting to see.

-If I got to pick, I would probably want Twitter to stick around, but see Elon Musk forced to sell it, and then make it a publicly owned utility.

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A Few Things

Here are nine articles I saved for you this week:

Yes, They Are Coming For Your Birth Control. “And then all of a sudden, there’s no reproductive health care, period, in the state of Idaho. That’s their endgame. And it’s not just Idaho. That’s what they want to do nationwide.”

A masterfully written profile of RFK Jr by Rebecca Traister. So good.

The Titan Submersible Was “an Accident Waiting to Happen.” An astonishing article. So many warnings that went unheeded.

Abortion Is a Fundamentally American Act. An engrossing article on abortion history in America.

No one is immune from the nightmare of airport security. The TSA says it stopped a record 6,301 firearms from being brought aboard airliners in 2022, the vast majority of which (88%) were loaded.

Deplatforming works! Yes, I know there are free speech implications that you may or may not have opinions about, but it is by far the most effective way to deal with online radicalization.

Mike Davis in his last interview: “Ruling classes everywhere have no rational analysis...for the immediate future. A small group have more concentrated power over the human future than ever before in human history, and they have no vision, no strategy, no plan.”

The myth that men hunt while women stay at home is entirely wrong. Obviously! It makes way more sense.

Abusive men describe the benefits of violence.

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A Little Bit of Shopping

I’ve been sharing shopping links in my Instagram stories for the last week or so and it’s interesting to see what really resonates.

This $35 Polka Dot Dress at Target is by far the most clicked on item I shared. And not just clicked on — I received so many DMs from people who own it and love wearing it.

This $40 boilersuit was the next most clicked. It’s definitely a favorite.

I also shared links from the Tori Burch sale. I consistently love what Tori Burch puts out and it was fun to share my favorites. This Breton-striped merino sweater got the most love among the picks I featured. And no surprise! It’s perfect. Was $298, now $179.

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Lately on Design Mom

8 Secrets to the Perfect Burger.

Four summer picture books to check out at the library, or add to your collection.

A home tour from the archives featuring a family who explores the world via a VW bus.

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That’s all for now. I hope you have a beautiful weekend. Feel free to comment on anything I mentioned above, or whatever’s on your mind.

kisses,
Gabrielle