Twitter is dying. The social media giant has been suffering a death by a thousand cuts ever since Elon Musk took over, with the catastrophic decision to “rate limit” the number of tweets users can see in a single day having roughly the same impact on Twitter as the iceberg did on the Titanic.
Users are now fleeing to the lifeboats as the bow tips up. Fortunately, Meta is ready and waiting to scoop all these orphaned users with Threads, which is being positioned as a Twitter-killer and with a pointed promise that it will be “sanely run”.
But, British users are currently losing their minds over the new app’s innocuous-sounding name. So, why does Threads equal nightmares of flesh-blistering, retina-burning, building-vaporizing nuclear annihilation?
What’s in a name?
In 1984 the Cold War was still very much happening, with the United States and Russia seen as a few wrong moves away from a thermonuclear exchange. This resulted in widespread nuclear paranoia, particularly in the United Kingdom as it was projected to be nuked into oblivion. The BBC decided to address this in a TV movie billed as “the most realistic depiction of nuclear war possible”.
Let’s just say director Mick Jackson nailed the brief. Threads is set in Sheffield, in the north of England and follows young couple Ruth and Jimmy as they plan to marry. Bubbling away in the background are geopolitical shifts. There’s been a US-backed coup in Iran, the Soviet Union isn’t happy, and NATO is building up its forces in Europe.
Over the space of a few hours, the world ends. First comes a nuclear detonation over the North Sea, a second impact hits RAF military bases and, finally, the bomb falls on Sheffield. Threads didn’t have a huge budget, though every penny was squeezed to make this as harrowing as humanly possible. But don’t take my word for it! See for yourself:
The story then goes on show in unflinching detail what life would be like for the survivors. Nikita Kruschev once commented that in the aftermath of nuclear war “the living would envy the dead” and… well, let’s just say Threads makes a very convincing case as to why that’s true.
Threads was screened on BBC2 in September 1984, but its impact didn’t stop there, as it went on to be routinely screened by teachers to children as a lesson of the reality of nuclear war. I had this shown to me at far too young an age, resulting in (like many, many other children) absolute terror, existential dread, and recurring nightmares. As such, Threads has burrowed into the British public subconscious and is now once again surfacing thanks to Meta’s new app.
The nightmares return
So, as you can imagine, many users are taking his opportunity to look back on the movie that terrified them (and yes, I get the irony of posting tweets to talk about Threads):
It really is incredibly bleak:
Major slam on Sheffield:
I know it's been said before, but yes: When someone mentions Threads, I also think of the movie about nuclear war doing extensive improvements to Sheffield city Centre.
— Penguins Forever! @Lottie_of_doom@mstdn.social(@Lottie_of_doom) July 6, 2023
It is something of a hurdle to get over:
Those memories are burnt deep:
Ugh. . . So Threads is app only. Don't like apps. I would prefer web based.
— Karl Fillingham (@FillinghamKarl) July 6, 2023
Also, for those of a certain age, Threads was a film about nuclear war we had to watch in school.
pic.twitter.com/M5NDsSCnRy
Maybe we’ll get used to it…:
I mean, couldn’t they have thought up a better name? One that doesn’t instantly conjure images of nuclear holocaust and desperation? #threads pic.twitter.com/TOccHn3Mk8
— Charlene Cole(@charlMidwife) July 6, 2023
Welp, another morning spent cowering under your bed waiting for the nuclear flash:
Here’s hoping that this burst of notoriety encourages more people to check out Threads. The entire thing is available to watch for free on the Internet Archive, so buckle yourself in for a movie you won’t forget.
We’ll probably stop associating Threads with Threads if the platform takes off, but at this rate we’re fully expecting Meta to unveil its new weather forecast app: When the Wind Blows.
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