Since its impressive launch on July 5th, Threads, the ‘Twitter killer’ app by Meta, has seen a dramatic downfall in daily users, plunging a staggering 81% from its peak of 44 million to a mere eight million users. This comes as a surprising turn of events, considering the app’s groundbreaking achievement of attracting 100 million users in its first five days – a record in app history. However, its initial popularity seems to have been short-lived, raising concerns for Meta and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg.
The app’s declining user engagement is evident as well, with users now spending an average of just 2.9 minutes per day on Threads, compared to the initial average of 19 minutes. The frequency of app usage has also plummeted, with users opening Threads only two to three times a day, as opposed to the 14 times they did in the app’s early days.
Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged this decline in mid-July and expressed optimism about the app’s future. He indicated that the focus for the remainder of the year would be on improving the app’s basic features and retention rates, echoing a strategy employed successfully with previous products like Facebook and Instagram.
The significance of daily users for social media platforms cannot be overstated, as it directly affects the platform’s appeal to advertisers. Interestingly, rival platform Twitter has faced its own challenges, including a decrease in advertising revenue after being purchased by Elon Musk’s X Corp. With ongoing tensions between the two billionaire rivals, Twitter has even threatened legal action against Meta, accusing it of hiring former employees with access to its confidential information.
As the battle for dominance between Meta and Twitter continues, the future of Threads remains uncertain. While the app initially enjoyed rapid growth, sustaining that momentum has proven to be a challenge. Mark Zuckerberg’s determination to stabilize and enhance user engagement in Threads reflects a tried-and-true approach from his playbook of successful ventures. Only time will tell whether Threads can regain its former glory and carve a place for itself in the competitive social media landscape.
In a nutshell, Threads’ journey from groundbreaking launch to its current struggles offers insights into the unpredictable nature of app popularity, user engagement dynamics, and the fierce rivalry between major tech giants aiming to redefine the social media sphere.
