Threads by Meta: The Explosive Growth of the New Twitter Competitor

Threads by Meta: The Explosive Growth of the New Twitter Competitor

Written by Barbara MUTANI

July 10, 2023

The last 5th of July, Meta launched Threads, and it exploded to 70 million signups. Would it be the next big thing in social media?  

What to know about Threads

Threads is a new platform developed by Meta that aims to streamline and enrich our conversations with friends, family, and communities. Threads allows you to publish short posts or updates that are up to 500 characters. You can include links, photos or videos up to 5 minutes long. The app is linked to your Instagram account, and according to Meta, you can “easily share a Threads post to your Instagram story, or share your post as a link on any other platform you choose.” 

 Threads goes beyond traditional messaging platforms by integrating content discovery features. Users can explore a wide range of engaging content, including articles, videos, and news updates, directly within the app. This feature enhances user engagement and keeps conversations dynamic and informed. 

The launch of Threads

Threads, Meta’s new competitor to Twitter, has experienced rapid growth since its public debut, driven by its integration with the massive user base of Instagram. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the text-based social media platform has already garnered 70 million sign-ups within its first full day. 

Internal company data, as reported by The Verge on Thursday afternoon, revealed that users had already posted over 95 million posts and received 190 million likes on Threads.

While Meta did not provide updated engagement metrics, CNBC was directed to Zuckerberg’s statement regarding the number of sign-ups. The substantial growth of Threads can be attributed to its connection with the existing social network, Instagram, which allows users to sign up using their Instagram handles and retain a portion of their following as more people join the app. 

Jasmine Enberg, Principal Analyst at Insider Intelligence, noted that if just one out of every four Instagram users were to use Threads monthly, it could potentially reach the same scale as Twitter. Twitter reported nearly 238 million monetizable daily active users in its last quarterly earnings report as a public company in the previous summer. 

Although Threads has already achieved significant growth, there is still ample opportunity for expansion as it has yet to launch in Europe. Instagram’s chief mentioned that navigating regulatory complexities is a consideration before the launch can occur in this region. 

Threads vs Twitter

Adam Mosseri, Threads is not a replacement of Twitter and is for users looking for a ‘less angry’ platform. Threads focuses on creating more intimate and private connections. Unlike Twitter’s public nature, Threads emphasizes personalized messaging and content sharing with a selected group of individuals. The integration of content discovery within Threads also sets it apart, providing users with a richer and more immersive experience compared to Twitter’s primarily text-based format.  

For more updates, visit Meta website.

Let us know what is your opinion on this and share your comment in our latest LinkedIn post.