Don't Look Now, But Zuckerberg's Threads Is Picking Up Steam

Instagram spinoff Threads is experiencing a surge in active users and web traffic one year after its inception.

What Happened: According to a Similarweb report, Meta Platforms Inc.’s META Threads, which debuted on July 5, 2023, has seen a substantial increase in user engagement.

Monthly active users of the Mark Zuckerberg-led company’s app grew by 15.8% in the U.S. and 6.3% in the U.K. from August 2023 through May 2024. In June 2024, traffic to Threads.net saw an increase of approximately 9% compared to its launch month of July 2023.

Originally, the website was intended to promote the app, with the functional version allowing users to post content introduced in late August. But since then, web traffic has seen a surge of over 175%, as per the report.

Despite the growth, Threads still lags behind X, which boasts about nine times as many monthly active users in the U.S. However, X’s user base has been on a decline, down 8.9% YoY in the U.S. and 17.7% YoY in the U.K.

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Threads was introduced as a text-based social network alternative to X by the Instagram team at Meta. It was designed to attract mobile app users who were dissatisfied with X’s management under Elon Musk‘s ownership.

Why It Matters: The growth of Threads comes at a time when many users are seeking alternatives to traditional social media platforms. Threads’ user-friendly interface and unique features have been key to its success.

The decline in X’s user base indicates a shift in user preference, which Threads has capitalized on.

The steady increase in user engagement and web traffic suggests that Threads is gaining traction and could potentially challenge established social media platforms in the future.

Read Next:

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This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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