San Antonio's McNay Art Museum enters its "unhinged" era on Threads

While the Threads vs. Twitter battle continues, the McNay Art Museum is using the new messaging app to challenge pretty much everyone in San Antonio to a parking lot cage fight — all in good fun, of course.

What's happening: Shortly after Threads launched on July 5, the McNay made a splash debut on the app, quickly becoming a standout local profile that even Mayor Ron Nirenberg is following.

• The museum's first thread? A reference to a popular TikTok trope: "it's wackadoodle time."
• And the wackiness definitely ensued, starting with proposing a fight against another museum for no reason.
• The Briscoe and Witte museums, the San Antonio Zoo and Hyatt Regency were up for the challenge. A T-Rex, buffalo and lobby space were involved. Other local groups quipped about providing the snacks and drinks.

Between the lines: The goofy, meme-savvy persona of the new Threads account might be a success because it contrasts the stately manner of the art museum.

• One follower said she renewed her museum membership because of the "unhinged" nature of the account.
• "Give your social media goblin a raise," Threads user Erin Jones posted.

What they're saying: Claudia Gomez, the museum's social media manager, created the profile.

• "We love our community, and this is an opportunity to shift our tone a little to connect in a different way and have a bit of fun," Gomez told Axios in a statement.

The intrigue: The messaging on the McNay's other social media profiles are different. Facebook fans are not going to be deep in the throes of a squabble between San Antonio's museums.

• Gomez tells Axios the launch of Threads provided the opportunity to say "well, what if…" and try a new approach.

By the numbers: After a week on the app, the museum has more than 5,000 followers, or "besties" or "comadres," as the McNay calls them.