Threads Sees Significant Decline in Usage: What’s Next?

Elon Musk is still tinkering with Twitter and pushing users towards paying to get full functionality in the app. At the same time, Meta’s Twitter challenger Threads has stumbled from its initial launch based on the latest third-party usage stats.

You have no doubt seen the numbers. Sensor Tower has reported that Threads’ daily active user count has reduced by 70% since launch.

Data.ai also reports that Threads downloads have slowed down significantly. Now, various pundits are also predicting that Meta’s real-time news app is destined for downfall too. It is all due to its record-breaking ascent to 100 million members.

Some of that is based on hope, with Musk’s most outstanding supporters looking to amplify the news of Threads’ demise however they can.

And while it is too early to gauge what its potential might be true, the numbers do raise some legitimate concerns.

Is the Threads hype train already done? Should you bother building your presence in this app?

There are a couple of key considerations for you. First, the Threads are still very basic and have limited functionality and posting options.

A key addition is the ”Following” feed to the current AI-recommended ”Home” timeline. It will be based on recent screen grabs from Instagram chief Adam Mosseri’s posts. It will be coming very soon.

The app will soon have a ”For you” and ”Following” feed. It will be a big help in allowing users to get a stream of content from the profiles they have chosen to follow. It is similar to Twitter.

The downside to that will be more limited post-exposure. It could see per post engagement stats decline. But it is a necessary step, at least until the Threads algorithm can be properly adjusted to what people want from the app to bring it into parity with tweets.

There is no desktop app or account-switching functionality. It makes it more cumbersome for social media managers to navigate.

Some have opted to leave it for now. It is leading to at least some of the drop-off in user numbers.

But, Once these functionalities are added, Threads will gain traction again.

Why so optimistic?

It is because 117 million people have created a Threads profile. It equates to almost half of Twitter’s active user base.

It also reflects a significant interest in a competitor platform that is functional and easy to use. It will also provide a similar experience to what Twitter either does or once did.

Like him or not, The polarizing approach of Elon Musk has alienated several Twitter users. The sheer scale of people going for Threads reflects the current trend.

Elon continues to reshape the Twitter app in his image. All those users are unlikely to become more connected with that platform again.

People want something new, like similar surges in sign-ups to Mastodon and all other Twitter alternative apps. But the difference with Threads is that several people have signed up and are willing to post in this new app instead.

The sign-ups for Mastodon peaked at 2.5 million in December last year. It equates to around 2% of the growth that Threads has already seen.

These are not comparable challenger apps. It is the reason why Threads is already in its category. It is because it has used Instagram to ramp up its early growth.

It is important to note that the interest of celebrities, journalists, and all other high-profile users has turned to Threads. They will bring in their audiences if they continue to post to Threads.

Several celebrities were annoyed at Twitter taking away their checkmark, so they opposed Elon Musk.

Musk has consistently criticized journalists, but journalists have also played a key role in Twitter’s growth story.

Twitter’s overall user count is far lower than Facebook’s. Still, Twitter has remained a relevant platform because it is a key source for breaking news and information due to its popularity among news breakers and reporters.

But Musk’s repeated attacks on ”mainstream media” have left several looking for another outlet, which could also see them drift to Threads. Many media professionals have already started posting there more often than they are tweeting.

Moreover, Musk is going to rebrand Twitter. We will see the app become ”X” instead, and the opportunity remains ripe for disruption.

And once again, the number of people who registered an interest in Threads bodes well for its future potential.

TechCrunch says that Threads is catching on in emerging mobile markets. It is the place where downloads are still growing. The US is only the third-largest market.

Countries like India and Brazil accounted for more installs at 60.1 million. It is 32.6% for India, and 40.2 million or 21.8% for Brazil, respectively. The US delivers only 27.8 million downloads or 15.1%.

Threads will further add to its future potential if it gains traction in these regions. Especially when you also consider that Twitter has never caught on in any of these regions.

Threads will become the key real-time app for these users. It will help to fuel expanded growth. Besides that, it will also bring more users to this newly formed platform.

So, more recent numbers are suggesting that interest is already waning. But it feels more like a lull before the next big push from Threads.

It is due to the introduction of new features in Threads. It is also due to the next wave of Twitter users who want to get away because of Musk’s changes to the app.

Hence, it makes Musk’s rebrand strategy that is particularly risky at this time. But Elon will do it his way, no matter what anyone else thinks or suggests.

The chance to compete with Twitter remains wide open for a new platform like Threads. Now, all the early interest in Threads shows that it can compete.

You can click here to learn more about Meta or Threads. You can also get to know more about other social media platforms too.