Meta Platforms’ (META.O) latest social media venture, Threads, has surpassed 175 million monthly active users, according to a recent report by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, marking a significant milestone one year after its debut.
Threads, positioned as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter), made its debut on app stores on July 5 last year, strategically aiming to attract users amidst the tumultuous acquisition of the popular micro-blogging platform by billionaire Elon Musk. Within its first week, Threads swiftly amassed 100 million users, leveraging its seamless integration with Instagram to facilitate profile setup, though initial user retention posed challenges.
Reflecting on the achievement, Zuckerberg shared in a Threads post, “What a year.” In April, he had previously disclosed Threads’ monthly active users exceeded 150 million.
While the monthly active user metric highlights Threads’ broad appeal, critical engagement metrics such as daily active users and average user session duration remain undisclosed. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower noted a decline in user engagement compared to its launch phase, with last month seeing an average of three sessions and seven minutes daily per user, down significantly from July last year.
Despite its rapid user growth driven by international expansion and feature enhancements, Threads has encountered difficulties in sustaining user engagement, Sensor Tower reports.
Threads operates without advertising, resulting in minimal revenue generation for Meta. Recently, the platform joined the Fediverse, a consortium of social media platforms utilizing the ActivityPub protocol, facilitating cross-platform interaction.
“A year post-launch, Threads’ identity remains ambiguous,” remarked eMarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg, attributing potential growth challenges to a lack of clear direction and original content. She added, “Meta faces the decision of maintaining Threads as a standalone app or redirecting engagement to Instagram. Notably, advertiser interest in the platform remains robust.”
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