A year and a half ago, Threads was merely an idea in Mark Zuckerberg’s mind. Today, the app, which rivals Elon Musk’s X, has surpassed 175 million monthly active users, as announced by the Meta CEO on Wednesday. This milestone comes as Threads approaches its first anniversary, having debuted in the App Store on July 5th, 2023. At that time, Musk was dismantling what was formerly known as Twitter and provoking Zuckerberg into a physical confrontation that never occurred. A year on, Threads continues to grow steadily, though not at the explosive rate of its initial launch, while Musk has not disclosed comparable user metrics for X since acquiring it.
Like any social platform, monthly user numbers only provide a partial picture of Threads’ growth. Unlike Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, Meta has yet to reveal daily user statistics for Threads. This suggests that many users are still sporadically engaging with the app rather than becoming regular users. According to Meta employees, much of Threads' growth is fueled by promotions within Instagram, with both apps sharing the same account system, which is not expected to change.
Nevertheless, achieving 175 million monthly users within a year is noteworthy, especially considering Meta’s mixed history with launching standalone apps. Zuckerberg has expressed confidence that Threads could become Meta’s next billion-user platform. To sustain this growth, Meta is targeting markets like Japan, where it sees potential to capture more market share from X.
Financially, Threads remains a loss leader for Meta, but the company has the resources to support it indefinitely. Internally, there are discussions about introducing ads to Threads next year, although plans are still being finalized. Threads could easily integrate into Instagram’s existing ad system. With Meta’s focus on non-political, lighthearted content, Threads could attract advertisers seeking a safer alternative to X.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, stated when Threads launched that he was more interested in the app becoming culturally relevant and achieving hundreds of millions of users than in sheer size. A year later, while Threads still has cultural ground to cover, its continued growth gives Meta the opportunity to achieve this goal.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/3/24191074/meta-threads-users-mark-zuckerberg
Does anyone here still use Threads? I haven’t used the app in a long time and I’m surprised that they’ve managed to hit 175 million users.
Like any social platform, monthly user numbers only provide a partial picture of Threads’ growth. Unlike Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, Meta has yet to reveal daily user statistics for Threads. This suggests that many users are still sporadically engaging with the app rather than becoming regular users. According to Meta employees, much of Threads' growth is fueled by promotions within Instagram, with both apps sharing the same account system, which is not expected to change.
Nevertheless, achieving 175 million monthly users within a year is noteworthy, especially considering Meta’s mixed history with launching standalone apps. Zuckerberg has expressed confidence that Threads could become Meta’s next billion-user platform. To sustain this growth, Meta is targeting markets like Japan, where it sees potential to capture more market share from X.
Financially, Threads remains a loss leader for Meta, but the company has the resources to support it indefinitely. Internally, there are discussions about introducing ads to Threads next year, although plans are still being finalized. Threads could easily integrate into Instagram’s existing ad system. With Meta’s focus on non-political, lighthearted content, Threads could attract advertisers seeking a safer alternative to X.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, stated when Threads launched that he was more interested in the app becoming culturally relevant and achieving hundreds of millions of users than in sheer size. A year later, while Threads still has cultural ground to cover, its continued growth gives Meta the opportunity to achieve this goal.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/3/24191074/meta-threads-users-mark-zuckerberg
Does anyone here still use Threads? I haven’t used the app in a long time and I’m surprised that they’ve managed to hit 175 million users.
