Hajra Naz
The owner of Facebook, Meta, launched Threads, a straightforward, text-based social network, during a tough week for the competition, which was still known as Twitter. It gained 100 million signups rapidly, a remarkable achievement for a newcomer in the market, and was called a “Twitter killer.”
But by week two, signups started to decline. According to research firm SimilarWeb, as of Aug. 7, there were approximately 10 million daily Android users of Threads, down from 49 million at the time of the app’s introduction a month earlier. Is Mark Zuckerberg’s most recent endeavor only a fad? That depends on how well it competes with its main rival. Furthermore, that is not X, the previous Twitter. This is TikTok. And the chances are slim.
TikTok’s Phenomenal Rise in Social Media
According to Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg, the actual war for Meta is with TikTok. “Mark Zuckerberg may have momentarily been distracted in his sparring with Elon Musk,” she said. And Zuckerberg still needs to be careful behind him.
It’s true that Twitter formerly served as the online marketplace and “originator of trends,” as stated by Enberg before TikTok took over. But many of the biggest trends are being created by Gen Z and even younger children and teenagers who grew up in the TikTok era.
And according to information from the Pew Research Centre, teenagers are using Twitter less and less, much like they are using stuffy Facebook. The TikTok generation may find text-based social media platforms only somewhat enticing as a result, as dances, makeup tips, bizarre recipes, and the concept of de-influencers are all transmitted through videos rather than the written word.
The main issue for Threads, regardless of format, is “being able to find a unique identity outside of being a Twitter alternative and outside of the expansion of Instagram,” according to Enberg.
The Visual Realm of Instagram
It needs to be clarified what one is at the moment. The fact that the app is an extension of Instagram is precisely why it attracted a sizable initial user base, which included well-known celebrities and brands. You need an Instagram account to sign up for Threads, and switching between the two is simple.
The app has been attracting users to Threads with notifications to join their pals there. Instagram has well over a billion users (according to some estimates, closer to 2 billion).
What to do after you’re on is the question. As of right now, the user base of Threads is comparable to that of Instagram, and notable profiles tend to be the usual suspects: celebrities, public figures, news outlets, influencers, etc.
Unless the Instagram connections you migrated over are a noisy — or thready — bunch, it’s harder to uncover unique postings from ordinary people. The experience can feel impersonal and sterile if you join Threads without connecting an existing Instagram account or creating one to do so.
This is because the app pushes you to follow well-known accounts that many others already follow.
It needs to be clarified how many well-known internet personalities who hurried to sign up for Threads have been visiting frequently despite their rapid growth in fan bases. Jimmy Donaldson, as MrBeast, is a well-known YouTuber with 5 million app followers.
But despite sending multiple TikToks, tweets (or postings on the platform now called X), and an 18-minute film to his 175 million subscribers on YouTube, he last posted two weeks ago.
