Meta’s Threads is currently facing challenges in attracting users to its platform, despite a highly successful launch week. Threads was initially promoted as a potential replacement for Twitter, appealing to dissatisfied Twitter users who were looking for alternatives due to the changes introduced by Elon Musk.
Market analysis firm Sensor Tower has reported a significant decline of 75% in traffic to Threads since its debut on July 6. Additionally, SimilarWeb data reveals that the average time spent by users on the Threads app has decreased to 4 minutes on iOS and 5 minutes on Android, down from 19 minutes and 21 minutes respectively.
Despite the decline in user activity, Threads has achieved remarkable growth by becoming the fastest growing app ever, with over 100 million active users in just 5 days since its launch. These numbers surpass even the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Worldwide downloads of Meta’s latest social media app have exceeded 184 million, according to Data.ai Intelligence.
Why is Threads experiencing a decline in traffic?
One of the main reasons for Threads app’s struggle to retain users is the lack of clarity regarding its purpose. During its launch, it seemed that Instagram, the parent company of Threads, was attempting to attract disgruntled Twitter users. However, it has become apparent that Threads and Twitter cater to different audiences.
Over the years, Twitter has established itself as a platform for news and politics, where prominent figures such as journalists, celebrities, athletes, and politicians share their opinions, which often involve politics. Instagram and other Meta platforms, on the other hand, have focused more on visual content like images and videos, distancing themselves from the political landscape.
Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram and Threads, has made it clear that the latest social media addition does not intend to engage with politics or hard news. Threads’ avoidance of news and political content raises questions about the target audience it aims to serve.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, also highlighted this issue in a tweet on July 8, stating, “How many times have you read comments on Insta pics & wished there were more? Personally, never.”
Threads is also implementing a rate limit on posts to deter spam accounts. Prior to the launch of Threads, Musk had introduced a temporary limit on the number of posts that can be viewed in a day, which frustrated many Twitter users.
(With inputs from agencies)