Meta Platforms’ Threads has reached over 175 million monthly active users, despite challenges in user engagement and monetization. Launched a year ago as a rival to Twitter, Threads has expanded internationally but faces questions about its future direction and standalone viability.
4 July 2024 – Meta Platforms’ newest social media offering, Threads, has reached over 175 million monthly active users (MAU), according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Threads, launched on July 5 last year, was strategically timed to attract users from Twitter, now known as X, amid its tumultuous acquisition by billionaire Elon Musk.
Threads rapidly amassed 100 million users within its first week, largely due to the ease with which Instagram users could set up Threads profiles. Despite this initial surge, some early adopters later disengaged. “What a year,” Zuckerberg remarked in a Threads post, noting that in April, the MAU figure stood at over 150 million.
While the MAU count provides a glimpse into Threads’ popularity, the platform has not disclosed other vital metrics such as daily active users and average time spent per user. Despite international expansion and new features, Threads has struggled to maintain user engagement. According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, users averaged three sessions and seven minutes per day on the app last month, a decline of about 79% and 65%, respectively, from July of the previous year.
Threads currently operates without advertising, generating little to no revenue for Meta. Recently, the platform joined the Fediverse, a network of social media sites supporting the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to interact across platforms.
“A year after launch, we know what Threads isn’t, but we don’t know what it is,” said eMarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg. She suggested that a lack of direction and original content might hinder its growth. “Meta must be wondering whether it makes sense to keep Threads as a standalone app or to direct that engagement back to Instagram. The good news is that advertiser interest in the platform is high,” she added.
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