A year and a half ago, Threads was merely a concept in Mark Zuckerberg’s mind. Now, as it nears its one-year anniversary, Threads, Meta’s social media app designed to rival Elon Musk’s X (formerly known as Twitter), has reached a significant milestone with over 175 million monthly active users.
The announcement, made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, underscores the app’s steady growth and potential despite a challenging start.
Threads launched on July 5, 2023, amidst a turbulent period for X. At the time, Musk was implementing drastic changes to the platform and provoking Zuckerberg with the idea of a literal cage match, which ultimately never occurred.
A year later, Threads continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace compared to its initial explosive launch. Meanwhile, Musk has not disclosed comparable metrics for X since taking over.
While the monthly active user count is impressive, it only paints part of the picture of Threads’ growth. Unlike Meta’s other major platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, daily user numbers for Threads have not been shared.
This omission suggests that while many people have checked out Threads, a significant portion has yet to become regular users.
Meta employees have indicated that much of Threads’ growth is driven by its promotion within Instagram. Both apps share the same account system, which has facilitated easy cross-promotion and user integration.
Despite this reliance on Instagram for growth, reaching 175 million monthly users within a year is a notable achievement, especially considering Meta’s mixed success with standalone app experiments in the past.
Zuckerberg has expressed optimism about Threads’ potential, envisioning it as Meta’s next billion-user app. To sustain growth, Meta is targeting markets where there is an opportunity to capture more market share from X, with Japan being a key focus area.
Financially, Threads remains a loss leader for Meta. However, the company is well-positioned to support the app indefinitely. There are internal discussions about introducing ads on Threads sometime next year, though concrete plans are yet to be finalized.
Integrating ads into Threads could be streamlined through Instagram’s existing ad system. Meta’s strategy to deprioritize political content and promote a lighthearted atmosphere makes Threads an attractive option for advertisers seeking a brand-safe alternative to X.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, highlighted the broader vision for Threads at its launch, emphasizing cultural relevance over mere user numbers.
“It would be great if it gets really, really big, but I’m actually more interested in if it becomes culturally relevant and if it gets hundreds of millions of users,” Mosseri said. A year on, Threads has made significant strides but still has progress to make in achieving cultural relevance.
In conclusion, Threads’ achievement of 175 million monthly active users in its first year is a promising indicator of its potential.
As Meta continues to develop the platform and explore new markets, the focus will be on converting occasional users into regular ones and enhancing its cultural footprint. With the resources and strategic direction provided by Meta, Threads has the potential to become a major player in the social media landscape.
