Frayed 'Threads': Meta’s ‘X-Killer’ sees userbase fall by 79% since July launch

On July 5 of this year, Meta introduced Threads, a text-based chat application that was supposed to be the platform that killed ‘Twitter,’ later renamed as X.

Now it seems that the supposed X killer is whithering away. The social media platform, despite its explosive start, is currently seeing its userbase fall by 79 per cent.

Fizzling out after a great start
During the first week of its launch, Threads gained substantial attention and virtually every Instagram user was eager to give this new app a shot. It got over 100 million users in just 5 days of its launch.

Interestingly though, this excitement was against the backdrop of harsh criticism directed at Twitter. People were disapproving of Twitter’s decision to impose a rate limit on tweets and its restriction on allowing non-account holders to view tweets.

Given this context, when Threads made its debut, it was viewed as a potential alternative to Twitter. This perception led to millions of downloads as individuals hoped that Threads could potentially become the next big thing in social media.

However, just one month after its launch, Threads’ story has taken a different turn. Despite amassing a staggering 100 million sign-ups within the first five days of its release, the app is grappling with user retention issues. Recent reports indicate that around 79 per cent of users have already stopped using the platform.

Not perfect
In a surprising twist, news emerged a few days ago that Threads had lost over half of its subscribers. Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, acknowledged this during an internal town hall meeting, noting that while the app’s retention was “better than what the executives had expected, it was not perfect.” This information was sourced from an audio recording of the internal call accessed by Reuters.

Adding to the challenges, a report from Similarweb, as cited by the Indian Express, reveals that Threads has experienced a significant 79 per cent decline in traffic since its launch. Initially boasting 49.3 million daily active users on July 7, the app’s active user count has dwindled to just 10.3 million. Moreover, the average time spent on the app per day has plummeted from an impressive 21 minutes to a mere 3 minutes.

Threads team optimistic
Despite these setbacks, the Threads team remains committed to retaining users and is actively implementing strategies to address the decline. Reports suggest that Meta is planning to introduce features aimed at enhancing user engagement.

Among these measures, Threads is reportedly gearing up to add a mention button, facilitating easy tagging of user accounts in posts. Additionally, the company is working on launching a web version of the app. Presently, Threads can only be accessed via its mobile app, but with the web version, users could engage with the platform from desktop computers, similar to how they do with Twitter.

While an official announcement from Meta is awaited, the introduction of a web version could potentially provide a fresh avenue for user engagement.