Meta's Threads Faces Major User Drop - Can it Compete with Twitter?
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has seen a drop in user engagement for its app Threads, losing over half of its users since its launch. Despite this, Zuckerberg remains optimistic and plans to improve retention rates with additional features. Meta aims to leverage Instagram's user base to drive traffic to Threads, which offers a similar experience to Twitter. New initiatives, such as integrating Threads posts into Instagram users' feeds, are being explored to boost user engagement and position Threads as a strong competitor in the social media industry.
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has faced a significant drop in user engagement for its newest app, Threads. Just five days after its launch, Threads had garnered over 100 million users, making it the fastest-growing app ever. However, according to a BBC report, Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the app has lost more than half of its users since then.
During an internal town hall meeting, Zuckerberg acknowledged that while the retention on Threads was better than expected, it was not perfect. He stated, "If you have more than 100 million people sign up, ideally it would be awesome if all of them or even half of them stuck around. We're not there yet."
Despite the drop in users, Zuckerberg remained optimistic, calling the situation "normal." He believes that retention rates will improve as more features are added to the app. Meta's Chief Product Officer, Chris Cox, revealed that the company is looking at incorporating retention-driving hooks to entice users to return to the app.
One example includes making sure that people on the Instagram app can see important Threads. This move aims to leverage Instagram's extensive user base of over 2 billion users. The decline in user engagement is evident in the data from online traffic service SimilarWeb.
Daily visits to Threads dropped from 49 million to 23.6 million within just one week of its launch. The report also highlighted that Threads' audience is approximately 22 percent the size of Twitter's. Threads is considered the biggest challenger to Elon Musk-owned 'X,' formerly Twitter.
While many potential competitors have emerged, none have managed to replace Twitter as one of the world's largest social media platforms. Threads allows users to post text and links and interact with others through replies and reposts, offering a similar experience to Twitter.
Users can also transfer their existing follower lists and account names from Instagram, providing a seamless transition between the two Meta-owned platforms. To address the drop in user engagement, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reassured employees in an internal town hall that the company is actively working to boost retention on Threads.
He acknowledged that the app's retention was better than expected but emphasized the need for improvement. New features and retention-focused initiatives are being explored to increase user engagement. One of the newly added features includes integrating Threads posts into Instagram users' feeds, making it easier for users to access and engage with the content.
Additionally, Threads introduced a "following feed" that allows users to see posts from accounts they follow. This move aims to provide users with more control over the content they see and create a more personalized experience.
Meta is committed to enhancing Threads and ensuring its longevity as a competitor to Twitter. With the addition of new features and retention strategies, the company hopes to attract and retain more users, solidifying Threads' position in the social media landscape.
