Threads Struggles With Waning User Interest

As Threads, the budding microblogging platform from Meta Platforms, struggles with its second consecutive week of dwindling daily active users, it becomes imperative for Meta to bolster its appeal with innovative features.

Contrary to its initial surge in user interest, Threads now experiences a slump, with a nearly 70% reduction in daily active users from a high point on July 7. The drop is quite alarming - from millions to a mere 13 million, as per the statistics from Sensor Tower, a reputed market intelligence firm.

Similarly, the average user's time on the platform has seen a downward trajectory, dropping from 19 minutes to 4 minutes on both iOS and Android apps. Particularly, Android users in the U.S. now spend only five minutes on Threads, a significant plunge from an impressive 21 minutes on its launch day, as pointed out by SimilarWeb, a distinguished digital data and analytics firm.

Contrastingly, Twitter's user engagement remains consistent at around 200 million daily active users, with an average 30 minutes spent per day.

While Meta executives had anticipated a decline following the platform's skyrocketing initial adoption - boasting over 100 million sign-ups within the first week of launch - they remain unfazed. Their focus is now on enhancing the user experience and broadening the user base before rolling out monetization strategies.

Richard Hanna, a social media strategy and digital marketing professor at Babson College, highlights that the reduction in user interest signifies the platform's limited functionality. Users desire more options and functionalities, similar to those found in other apps, warranting Threads to expand its feature set.

Critics suggest that Threads, built upon Instagram's framework, may lose its appeal for users who follow the same individuals across both platforms. Given that these accounts may post less frequently on Threads than on Twitter, the experience could seem monotonous. The domination of company brands on Threads is another concern raised by users.

In response to these concerns, Threads' official account shared a video from Adam Mosseri, the head of Meta's Instagram unit, promising a suite of new features, such as support for multiple accounts, post-editing, and a chronological feed like Instagram and Facebook.

Despite being in its early stages, Threads has striven to establish its unique identity, distancing itself from Twitter's political and hard news bias. Threads' advantage is its ability to sustain itself longer than other startups, given Meta's financial backing and technical expertise, as Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, points out.

However, Threads has faced some technical hitches delaying its feature rollout. Cameron Roth, a software engineer at Instagram, announced that the new update - including features like translation, activity feed tabs, and a new subscription feature - was paused due to an issue causing network requests to fail.

Meta's top brass emphasizes that the initial user response surpassed expectations. Nevertheless, their priority now is on achieving stability before engagement. The sentiment is echoed by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who stated the company's focus is on steadying the platform before increasing its community.