'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgT/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAANtIZP/EAB8QAAEEAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMBAgQRACEFEwYSUf/aAAgBAQABPwAoJXcDjoqRQSjBaFSI22E9qfb0r5j/ACfkIj1jPPbwr1qrRMq01rWf/8QAGREBAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgABEXGy/9oACAECAQE/ADeATvq5/8QAGhEAAQUBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACBBJxwv/aAAgBAwEBPwCEBQ7y1f/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Days after Mark Zuckerberg sent netizens into a frenzy by launching the new Threads app by Meta, a viral claim surfaced on Twitter that The Simpsons had already predicted it.
On July 7, 2023, Twitter account Everything Out Of Context shared an image of Homer Simpson’s face with a red circle highlighting his ear. The logo of the Threads app was collaged next to it, trying to make a comparison between Homer’s earlobe and the symbol of the application which look alike. The tweet was captioned as the popular American sitcom doing it again.
The satirical sitcom has been widely recognized for its astounding historical predictions. Just a few days ago, another claim went viral on social media that the sitcom also predicted the mysterious disappearance of OceanGate’s Titan submersible, which, in reality, sustained a catastrophic implosion.
However, people commented on Everything Out Of Context’s viral tweet and pointed out that Homer’s earlobe never resembled the Threads symbol and that the viral image was photoshopped. The tweet has so far gained over 16.8 million views.
Netizens react to viral claim about The Simpsons predicting Threads
Following Everything Out of Context's tweet, internet users quickly flocked to Twitter to share their reactions to the viral claim. Although they debunked the viral claim that The Simpsons predicted Meta's Threads app's launch, they joined in the amusement prompted by the conspiracy theory and indulged in making memes out of it.
The claims about the animated show predicting the events again has become a famous pop culture reference at this point. The Simpsons has released 34 seasons and is the longest-running animated American sitcom. It is well-recognized for its humorous and satirical take on everyday American life, politics, and popular culture.
Some of the show’s popular predictions include Donald Trump’s presidency, the US-China war, the censorship of David by Michelangelo, smartwatches invention, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comparisons between Meta's Threads and Twitter
Threads is a new application launched by Instagram and has a stark resemblance with both Instagram and Twitter. It allows users to get real-time updates and engage in public conversations. The spin-off app by Meta’s Instagram focuses more on conversations than visual content.
One can log in using their Instagram credentials. They can change the bio and the profile picture on Threads or import them from Instagram. People can also write posts and share media. Similar to Twitter’s retweet option, Threads offers a repost option as well. The layout of the app resembles that of Instagram to an extent, but the features of replying to posts and resharing them are similar to Twitter.
There is also a character limit on how much one can write in one post. On Twitter, the character limit for each tweet is 280, whereas Threads offer 500 characters per post. Meta’s Threads application also allows users to add up to 10 photos and up to 5 minutes long videos.
Interestingly, Threads does not offer users to edit their posts once it is posted. Twitter also does not offer regular users the option to edit their tweets. However, verified users on the blue bird app have the option to edit. Aside from that, the Threads app does not have a trending section and does not use hashtags either.
