Meta launches a web version of Threads as user engagement falls 85%

In just 48 days after its launch, many of Meta’s most active users have abandoned the Threads platform once hyped by mainstream media and major news outlets as a potential “Twitter Killer.” In a bid to stem the loss of these active users, Meta announced on Tuesday the rollout of its web version of its new text-centric social media platform, Threads.

With this launch, users of Threads will have the capability to access the social blogging platform by simply logging into its website using their computers. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said in a Threads post that the web version would reach users “over the next few days.”

Meta’s goal with this launch is to retain its professional user base and gain a competitive advantage over its competitor, X (previously known as Twitter).

According to a statement from Meta spokesperson Christine Pai, the recently introduced logged-in web experience will provide users with the capability to post, view their feeds, and engage with other posts directly from their desktop computers. She added that Meta’s team is working to “bring this experience to parity with mobile and will be adding more functionality to the web experience in the coming weeks.”

The highly anticipated release could potentially enhance Threads’ appeal to a wider range of power users, including brands, company accounts, advertisers, and journalists. This expansion comes with the advantage of using the platform on larger screens, offering a more versatile experience.

Threads initially garnered significant attention, amassing over 100 million sign-ups within just five days of its July 5 launch. However, its popularity dwindled as users reverted to the more familiar X platform after the initial surge.

In just three weeks after its launch, Threads engagement and daily active users plunged to 13 million, a drop of around 70%, according to data from data marketing intelligence firm Sensor Tower. But Threads user-hemorrhage didn’t stop there.

Now the total number of Threads’ daily active users fall below ten million, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing new data from analytics firm SimilarWeb. Since its launch 47 days ago, user engagement or the amount of time users spend on the app has fallen by 85%, The Wall Street Journal reported.

At its peak, shortly after its launch on July 5th, Threads boasted 50 million daily active users globally. Additionally, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently acknowledged in a leaked audio that Threads, essentially a Twitter clone, faced significant challenges. The app encountered a surge of interest, amassing over 100 million downloads within five days of its launch. However, it subsequently suffered a substantial loss in user numbers.