Raising brows(ers)
Threads users, fire up your desktops: Meta is launching a version of its text-based social media platform that can be used on web browsers. The new functionality will allow users to create, view, and interact with posts on their desktops — features that have been available on X, formerly Twitter, for years.
Threads is threatening X just as the company is going through its own upheaval. In July, Threads surpassed 70 million sign-ups in less than 48 hours, reaching 100 million users faster than any other app, while X owner Elon Musk initiated a company-wide rebrand just months after laying off ~80% of the company's workforce. But — despite stoking up a tech-billionaire rivalry that at one point looked like it would lead to a cage match — the initial hype surrounding Threads is waring thin.
Threadcount
A July report from data analytics company Similarweb showed that the number of daily active Android users on Threads dropped from 49 million to 23.6 million in a single week — equivalent to only 22% of X’s audience. It seems as though, even with Musk’s major changes often looking spontaneous, some good may have come from the chaos: X users have reportedly reached a ‘new high’ at over 540 million per month.
Maintaining the momentum behind a social media platform is hard (see Myspace, Friendster, Vine, Google+ and even BeReal) — behind-the-scenes posts from Mark Zuckerberg might not even be enough to keep Threads relevant.
