Is Threads losing steam? [New Research]

Threads, Instagram‘s text-based conversation app, launched in July 2023 and reached 100 million active users within ten days.

It grew five times faster than ChatGPT, the previous record holder for the fastest-growing app. Its initial surge in popularity reportedly led to a decline in traffic to Twitter (now

Despite its initial success, will Threads meet the same fate as many other young social media platforms?

Are threads slowing down?

SimilarWeb reported that usage of threads was reduced by 79%, and time spent on the app was reduced by 89%, just one month after launch.

While US users once spent 21 minutes on the app per day, by August 7 this dropped to three minutes. What’s more, the user base has dropped by more than half since launch.

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This data shows that the initial surge of threads has definitely subsided. However, the consumer perspective is important before calling threads a passing fad. In September, we surveyed social media users across the US to hear their opinions about the app and its future.

First, it’s interesting to note how Threads users would describe the platform, and most respondents would use the words “new, innovative, and disruptive.” This sentiment tracks, as Threads was certainly disruptive in its infancy, so much so that it took traffic away from a mature and established platform.

To get initial insight, we asked consumers which social media platforms they had spent an hour or more on since July. 21% said they spent an hour or more on threads, ahead of Twitter, Reddit, and Tumblr. This differs from data from SimilarWeb, which says US users haven’t spent more than 3 minutes on the app since August.

Most respondents (24%) also said they spent the same amount of time on the app in August as they did in July. 21% said they have significantly increased the time they spend on threads.

When comparing Threads usage to X usage, most consumers said they spent the same amount of time on the X channel between July and August.

We also asked about their plans with Threads for the upcoming months, and most reported that they will likely continue to use the platform to the same extent as they do today. However, in second place, 17% of respondents said they would probably stop using the app altogether.

Decision? Threads lost their initial charm.

The data shows that, yes, Threads has lost its initial hype after launch. However, that doesn’t mean it’s dead or dying, as data shows consumers still remain interested in the platform. Furthermore, only 7% of respondents would use the word “dead” to describe the app (X was also given the same rating).

The truth is that consumers may need more reasons to stay on an app for a long time. 24% still say it was boring and/or uninteresting (just one percentage point less than the more positive sentiment of new, innovative and disruptive).

Key Takeaways for Marketers

The threads are young, so it’s hard to predict usage in a year, even six months. The decline in enthusiasm is clear, but interest is still there, so businesses on the platform will have to work hard to generate and maintain interest before it is too late.

Meta has significant reach, and, as a Meta product, it is unlikely that threads will fail. It can offer new features and capabilities that will re-engage bored users and keep people coming back. I would encourage marketers to be experimental as the strategies you would use on established platforms like Facebook are not guaranteed to work.

Keep an eye on the app and how consumers interact with your content—look generally and see what happens. If it shows no signs of going away, your observations and testing will keep you well prepared for the future.

After all, people once said TikTok would never last, but look where it is now.