Threads Struggles to Retain Users’ Attention

Meta’s Threads, which was initially seen as a potential rival to Twitter, has experienced a decline in user engagement just a week after reaching its peak usage on July 7. According to Similarweb, a digital data firm, the average time spent on Threads each day by U.S. users dropped significantly from 21 minutes to only six minutes on the app’s Android version.

Twitter also saw a slight decrease in time spent (4.3% on Android), but it still maintained a total of 25 minutes, which is considerably higher than Meta’s Threads.

The number of daily active users on Threads for Android also decreased significantly, going from 49 million to 23.6 million between July 7 and 14. In comparison, Twitter had approximately 107 million users on July 14, according to Similarweb.

Despite this dip in user engagement, Meta executives expected it after the initial surge. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, mentioned that their focus is not solely on engagement but on surpassing the usual ups and downs that come with new product launches. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, expressed his surprise at the early growth of Threads, with tens of millions of users returning daily, which exceeded their expectations. He emphasized that their focus for the rest of the year would be on enhancing the basics and user retention.

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Threads, launched by Meta as a competitor to Twitter on its existing Instagram platform, received a positive reception on July 5. Within five days of release, Zuckerberg claimed that the new social media service had already amassed over 100 million users, potentially making it the fastest-growing consumer app ever, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

A significant portion of Threads’ users, about a quarter, are based in India, while the U.S. accounts for the second-largest share of users, at 17.6%, according to data from Sensor Tower.

However, some users and advertisers noticed that Threads lacked certain features commonly found on other social media platforms, such as hashtag searchability. This could be one reason behind the decline in engagement, as suggested by David F. Carr, senior insight manager for Similarweb. He posited that Threads needs to offer a compelling reason for users to switch from Twitter or establish a new social media habit.

To address the limitations, Meta announced new features for Threads, including an improved way for users to see who is following them and a translation function. Nevertheless, when asked for comment, a spokesperson for Meta referred to Zuckerberg and Mosseri’s posts on Threads.

The accelerated launch of Threads by Meta was reportedly influenced by missteps made by Twitter and its owner, Elon Musk. Musk’s policy changes, especially concerning content moderation, have caused concerns among brands and creators, leading them to seek alternatives. Twitter’s owner did not take kindly to the launch of Meta’s competitor, with Musk criticizing Threads’ privacy permissions, challenging Zuckerberg to a cage fight, and threatening to sue Meta over allegations of poaching ex-Twitter employees and stealing trade secrets.

Despite the rivalry, social media experts believe that Threads is unlikely to completely replace Twitter. Instead, the world of text-based social media is predicted to split into multiple platforms catering to different types of content. Twitter would remain a hub for breaking news and commentary, while Threads, akin to its parent app Instagram, would focus on influencer-driven content.

Twitter faces its own set of issues, with Musk revealing that the company’s advertising revenue was still down by 50% and that it had negative cash flow.