Threads user exodus: Meta’s so-called ‘Twitter killer’ app’s user engagement plunges just a week after red-hot debut

Meta’s Threads has generated quite the buzz in one week, with some even touting it as the next Twitter killer. Within just five days of its launch, Meta’s Threads reported a record 100 million sign-ups. But what goes up must come down. Unfortunately for Meta Threads, its initial surge in growth and user engagement has taken a significant hit since its red-hot debut just a week ago.

According to data from tracking and marketing intelligence firms Sensor Tower and Similarweb, Meta’s Threads has seen a major dropoff in daily active users and time spent on the app since its launch last week.

Data provided by the two tracking firms reveal a substantial decline in daily active users and time spent on the app following its launch last week. In an interview with CNBC, Anthony Bartolacci, the managing director at Sensor Tower, a marketing intelligence firm, said: “The Threads launch really did ‘break the internet,’ or at least the Sensor Tower models. In over a decade of estimating app installs, the first 72 hours of Threads were truly unparalleled.”

However, Bartolacci also added that data from Sensor Tower indicates a “significant” decline in user engagement following the launch of Threads. Specifically, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the platform experienced a decrease of approximately 20% in daily active users compared to Saturday. Additionally, the average time spent by users on the app plummeted by 50%, dropping from 20 minutes to just 10 minutes. These figures indicate a significant pullback in user activity and demonstrate a decline in the app’s overall appeal. CNBC also wrote:

“But, he added, “Sensor Tower data suggests a significant pullback in user engagement since Threads’ launch: On Tuesday and Wednesday, the platform’s number of daily active users were down about 20% from Saturday, and the time spent for user was down 50%, from 20 minutes to 10 minutes.”

“These early returns signal that despite the hoopla during its launch, it will still be an uphill climb for Threads to carve out space in most users’ social network routine,” Bartolacci said. “The backing of Meta and the integration with Instagram likely gives Threads a much higher flood than other services, but it will need a more compelling value proposition than simply ‘Twitter, but without Elon Musk.’”

In addition, Similarweb, a digital data and analytics company, also reported similar trends in the case of Threads. Their data reveals that there has been a decline of over 25% in daily active users among Threads users on Android phones globally, comparing the peak on July 7 to the numbers observed on Monday. It’s worth noting that the company is still in the process of calibrating its model using iOS data, so there may be additional insights to come.

Furthermore, Similarweb’s data highlights a significant decrease in usage time, indicating that the average time spent by users in the United States on the app has dropped from approximately 20 minutes on July 6 to just a little over 8 minutes on July 10. These statistics point towards a substantial reduction in user engagement and suggest a waning interest in the app during that time period.

“We did see engagement drop somewhat over the weekend, and on Monday we estimate Threads had 36.6 million active users on Android,” David Carr, senior insights manager at Similarweb, told CNBC, adding, “While there was intense interest in checking out the app initially, not every user has made a habit of visiting Threads as often as they might other social apps.”

Ever since Threads was introduced to the world on July 5, Meta’s Twitter killer quickly grabbed attention due to its integration with Instagram sign-ups, algorithmic feeds, and favorable feedback from advertisers. The app gained significant traction, and within just one day of its launch, The Verge reported that users had already shared over 95 million posts and received 190 million likes, based on internal company data they had access.

It’s important to remember that Threads is still in its early stages, and it’s natural for the initial surge of sign-ups to taper off as users navigate and explore the new platform. During this early phase, users are likely to assess whether the community and the topics promoted align with their interests. As with any new service, it takes time for users to fully embrace it and determine if it’s the right fit for them.

In response to the reports, a Meta spokesperson said, “While it’s early days, we’re excited about the initial success of Threads, which has surpassed our expectations. We launched the app just over a week ago, and our focus now is on ensuring stable performance, delivering new features, and continuing to improve the experience in the coming months.”

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the company has highlighted comments from CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding Threads. According to Zuckerberg, the majority of the app’s growth, leading to the impressive 100 million sign-ups, was organic in nature, meaning it was not primarily driven by promotional efforts. This suggests that Threads attracted a substantial user base based on its own merits and appeal, rather than relying heavily on promotional campaigns or marketing strategies.

Meanwhile, the engagement drop might just be the beginning as privacy concerns emerged over the collection of users’ “health and fitness and financial info.” Unlike Twitter, Threads collects data about users’ “Health & Fitness,” “Financial Info,” “Sensitive Info,” and “Other Data.”  In a post on SubStack, journalist Michael Shellenberger wrote,

Within a few hours of launching, Threads was already secretly censoring users and not offering them the right to appeal.

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Meta is already too powerful. One company controls what much of the public is allowed to see. And if Threads succeeds, it will have 80% of the global market outside of Russia and China, according to one industry insider. As such, it’s reasonable to expect that Meta will censor precisely the same way the large news media corporations, including the New York Times, and corporate advertisers want it to. More censorship is what the mainstream news media, big corporations, and their celebrity pitch people have been demanding.

…additionally, Unlike Twitter, Threads collects data about “Health & Fitness,” “Financial Info,” “Sensitive Info,” and “Other Data.”