A few week prior, just as the fireworks of July 4th had come to a close. Meta released a social media platform. One that would rival the likes of Twitter. Threads. What does this mean for Musk’s million-dollar social media company? What are the implications?
Up Against the Competition
Threads is not the first of its kind to compete with Twitter. Similar services like Mastodon, Bluesky and Spill, have also entered the market before Threads came to the stage. In fact, Mastodon has been in competition with Twitter since its release in 2016. Yet, Zuckerberg’s new launch gained a lot of media attention especially regarding Twitter. The reason lies within the intention and framework before the launch.
The new social media sensation app was launched via Instagram. News headlines boasted Threads’ immense growth. Up to a 100 million users in its opening week, according to The Guardian. However, Instagram’s massive database of over a billion users seems to be the primary reason for the massive influx of new users. Although appealing to the dissatisfied customers of Twitter as a viable option, Threads presents itself very distinctly from other competitive apps.
Unlike Bluesky, Spill and other options, the new Meta app is backed with massive financial resources and leverage from its parent company. Meaning the impact of the release could potentially dismantle Twitter, which previously only had to deal with smaller competitors.
A Bust?
2 weeks since release, Threads has been showing signs of decline. According to Forbes, the number of active users and the average time spent on the app has decreased drastically. Specifically, Threads lost 31 million active users and time spent has been reduced to 4 minutes. Considering the metrics and data, it appears Threads might not pose a serious threat to the reigning giant Twitter. At least for the moment.
A Hopeful Conclusion
Threads has yet to announce plans to increase user engagement, desperately in need of critical new features. The company’s next step could mean the difference between dethroning Twitter, or fading away with the rest of the competition.
Threads > twitter!