Meta’s new app Threads is experiencing a decline in popularity. After a highly successful launch with over 100 million sign-ups in just one week, the app’s user base has been steadily decreasing.
According to data reports, Threads had approximately 49 million daily active users (DAU) when it first launched in early July. However, by the end of the second week, this number dropped by half to 23 million DAU. Data analysts at SensorTower have also observed a significant decrease in user engagement after the first week of use.
New apps often generate a lot of interest, and Threads was no exception. Instagram played a major role in promoting the app, leveraging users’ existing account credentials to eliminate the need for a new account.
However, despite its similarities with Twitter in terms of content creation, reposting, and liking, Threads differs in its approach. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri made it clear that Threads would not prioritize news content, limiting users to interacting with people in their existing network. This can be inconvenient for those who want their posts to be seen by a wider audience, such as family members.
Unlike Twitter, which has built a reputation for real-time news updates, Instagram lacks a similar ecosystem. Additionally, Twitter allows for anonymous usage, a feature not available on Threads due to its integration with Instagram. This means Threads is missing out on a significant portion of potential users who prefer to remain anonymous.
Threads recently announced the implementation of rate limits on posts to combat spam accounts. This decision received criticism from Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who has been skeptical of Meta’s new social media platform since its inception.
“Spam attacks have increased, so we need to tighten things like rate limits, which may unintentionally limit active users. If you encounter any issues, please let us know,” said Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri in a Threads post.
Musk responded to Mosseri’s post on Twitter, saying, “Lmaooo Copy 🐈.”