It Turns Out Threads Isn't Much of a Twitter Killer

When Threads launched on July 5 2023, many media outlets referred to it as a "Twitter killer." I had some serious doubts about this, as there were too many things about Threads that I figured most users would not like, such as the lack of a reverse chronological feed, lack of a web interface, the inability to use hashtags, and the fact that one has to have an Instagram to even use it, among other things. Now I do have to note that Meta (the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads) have corrected many of these things. Regardless, it seems my doubts about Threads being a "Twitter killer" have proven to be correct.

Threads started out seeming as if it would be a roaring success. By July 7, two days after its launch, it had 44 million daily active users. Unfortunately for Meta, according to data from marketing intelligence company Sensor Tower, Threads ended July with only 8 million daily active users. That is a drop of about 82%. This can be contrasted to Twitter (which owner Elon Musk recently rebranded to "X"), which has 249 million daily active users as of this month according to Apptopia. As unhappy as people are with Twitter (I refuse to call it "X") under Elon Musk, it would seem that they don't care much for Threads either.

As to why Threads experienced such a massive drop in daily active users, I have to think part of it is that it did not have a reverse chronological feed. While Threads began rolling out a reverse chronological feed (called "Following") in late July, it may have been too little, too late for many users. In my experience most people looking for a microblogging service, such as Twitter or Mastodon, want their feeds in reverse chronological order. They do not want their feeds dictated by an algorithm. Twitter has an algorithm dictated feed (called "For You"), but I don't know anyone who actually uses it. Many users who joined Threads may have stopped using the service as soon as they realized it didn't have a reverse chronological feed.

Another objection many users may have had to Threads is the lack of a web interface. While Threads recently added a web interface in late August, again, it may have been a case of too little, too late. Now I don't know how many people prefer using microblogging services on the web as opposed to using them on a phone app, but I think enough people prefer using mircroblogging services on the web to make a difference. While I might check my various microblogging services on my phone, I much prefer to do any actual posting on the web. Again, many users may have given up on Threads when they realized there was no way to access it on the web.

While Threads has a reverse chronological feed now and a web interface as well, according to reports I have read recently, one still cannot use hashtags on the service. Supposedly, the ability to use hashtags is one of those features that will eventually come to Threads, but many users may not want to wait that long. Hashtags can be found on virtually every other microblogging service, and even Facebook and Instagram (curiously, both apps are also put out by Meta). Users have been using hashtags for years. They may have deserted Threads when they realized they could not use hashtags on the service.

As if losing a huge number of daily active users in less than a month weren't bad enough, there are also some things about Threads that might discourage many potential users from using the app. Chief among these is the fact that one has to have an Instagram account to even use it. One even logs into Threads with their Instagram user name and password. Indeed, Instagram and Threads are so intertwined that if one deletes their Threads account, one's Instagram account is deleted as well, and vice versa. Now I know there are probably many who don't have Instagram accounts, and many of those probably don't want to open one just to use Threads.

Another, more serious hurdle for many adopting Threads is, quite simply, privacy concerns. Threads is apparently even more invasive with regards to privacy than even Facebook and Instagram. Threads collects data on users' health and fitness, browsing history, purchases, contacts, and so on. Apparently, Threads is still unavailable in the European Union because it doesn't comply with the EU's regulations regarding privacy. I would think there would be many who would not use Threads precisely because of the privacy concerns. I know it is why I haven't opened a Threads account. While any app knowing my browsing history wouldn't bother me, I see no reason why they should have access to purchases I have made, my contacts, and especially my health.

Of course, beyond anything else, much of the reason Threads may have experienced such a precipitous drop in users is simply that there are such a large number of Twitter alternatives out there now. There's Bluesky, Hive Social, Mastodon, Post, Spill, Spoutible, and probably some I haven't even heard of. Many users may have simply tried out Threads and decided they liked another Twitter alternative better instead. Indeed, beyond privacy concerns and objections to Threads's lack of features, another reason I didn't join Threads is that I am already on Spoutible and Mastodon. Indeed, Spoutible has become my favourite social media service of late.

In the end, Threads has clearly not turned out to be the "Twitter killer" the media, for whatever reason, thought it would be. I think this can be marked up to a number of missteps Meta made along the way, from the initial lack of a reverse chronological feed to the apparently still current inability to use hashtags on the service. Users accustomed to Twitter probably want many of the features that microblogging service has. When a particular microblogging service doesn't have them, they will simply find another microblogging service to use. And, right now, there are plenty to choose from.