Threads has more than 175 million monthly active users after one year
Around a year after the launch of the Twitter alternative from Meta Platforms, Threads continues to grow, but not as rapidly as it did at the beginning.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg
(Image: Frederic Legrand - COMEO/Shutterstock.com)
Almost exactly a year ago, Meta Platforms launched its Twitter alternative, Threads. Now, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explains that the short messaging service now has 175 million monthly active users. This emphasizes that Threads is still growing, just not as fast as in the beginning. Just four days after its launch, Threads already had 100 million accounts.
However, this was due to the integration with Instagram. Threads requires an Instagram account, so Instagram users could simply try out the then new short messaging service. Just one month after opening, the use of Threads plummeted again. Most users took a brief look and then stayed away.
One of the reasons for the introduction of Threads was Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter and its initial restrictions, especially for non-paying users, such as a reading limit. This annoyed many users who were looking for alternatives. Meta Platforms did not want to miss out on this opportunity and quickly set up its own short message service.
Growth through Instagram
The 175 million monthly active users now announced by Mark Zuckerberg himself on Threads are just one measure of the growth of the short messaging service. It is significant that Meta Platforms, unlike Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, does not provide daily user numbers for Threads, writes The Verge. This would show that Threads counts a lot of transit traffic from visitors who do not use the service regularly.
Internal circles at Meta Platforms say that a large part of Threads' growth is due to advertising measures within Instagram. To further drive growth, Meta would focus on regions where Threads could take market share from competitor X (formerly Twitter), such as Japan.
Different focus and advertising at Threads
However, Threads has a different focus than X. While politics and "hard news" are a central element of Elon Musk's short messaging service, the Instagram boss responsible for Threads wants to keep politics out of the new platform. Politics and hard news would entail additional effort, negativity and risks that would not be offset by engagement and revenue. Instead, the company aims to focus on sports, music, fashion, beauty and entertainment.
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So far, Threads is still a loss-making business for Meta. Although the data company could finance the short messaging service in the long term due to its economic strength in other areas of the company, it is reportedly considering displaying advertising in Threads next year. An exact plan has not yet been determined, but Meta could use Instagram's existing ad system for this.
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