Threads, the latest competitor to Twitter developed by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, made a sensational debut with its launch, swiftly amassing over 100 million users within a mere five days, establishing itself as the fastest-growing app to date.
However, since its initial surge, the app has faced a considerable decline in user engagement.
Striking Decline in Meta’s Threads Users
A BBC report revealed that Mark Zuckerberg candidly admitted Threads’ loss of more than half of its users. During an internal town hall meeting, he acknowledged that while the app’s retention rate surpassed the executives’ expectations, it fell short of the desired level.
“We had hoped that out of the over 100 million people who signed up, a substantial number would continue to use the app. However, we’re not quite there yet,” remarked Mr. Zuckerberg, acknowledging the challenges.
Despite the setback, the billionaire tech mogul remained optimistic, asserting that the drop in users was a normal occurrence for new apps. He expressed confidence that retention rates would see improvement as Meta continued to introduce new and enticing features to the app.
To bolster user retention, Meta is actively exploring strategies to allure users back to Threads. Chief Product Officer Chris Cox highlighted the company’s intent to incorporate more “retention-driving hooks,” including enabling Instagram users to access important Threads content. This move aims to leverage the vast user base of Instagram.
Decline in Daily Visits on Threads App
Before the drop in user engagement, Threads experienced a rapid decline in daily visits from 49 million to 23.6 million within a single week after its launch, as reported by SimilarWeb, an online traffic service. Furthermore, the app’s audience size was approximately 22 percent of Twitter’s, indicating a considerable gap between the two platforms.
Threads stands as the most significant challenger to “X,” previously known as Twitter and now owned by Elon Musk. Over the years, several potential competitors have emerged in the social media landscape, but none have managed to displace Twitter’s position as one of the world’s largest social media platforms, despite its own challenges.
In terms of functionality, Threads offers users the ability to post text, links, and interact with other users’ messages, closely resembling Twitter’s offerings. Moreover, users can seamlessly transfer their existing follower lists and account names from Instagram, a feature that further solidifies the integration between Meta’s social media platforms.
As Threads navigates the evolving social media landscape, Meta remains committed to refining the app’s user experience, anticipating that further improvements and engaging features will propel Threads towards a more sustainable and competitive future in the realm of social media platforms.
