Meet Threads, the fastest growing app in history

Two hours after pressing the launch button on Wednesday on Threads, Instagram’s new app for real-time, public conversations, Mark Zuckerberg posted that more than two million people had downloaded his latest creation.

That was just the beginning.

Another two hours later, five million people had downloaded Threads. By the time Mr. Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta, went to bed on Wednesday night, the number of downloads had soared to 10 million.

When he woke on Thursday morning, the app had been downloaded more than 30 million times, he said.

In less than a day, Threads, which is aimed as a rival to Twitter appears to have taken the crown as the most rapidly downloaded app ever.

It easily outstripped ChatGPT, the chatbot, which was downloaded one million times within its first five days, according to OpenAI, ChatGPT’s maker.

And Threads is on a pace to exceed 100 million users within two months, a feat achieved only by ChatGPT, according to the analytics firm Similarweb.

What’s the fuss all about?

You won’t believe what’s been happening in the Twitterverse lately. Ever since Elon Musk swooped in and acquired the platform last year, things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing.

In fact, Twitter has been plagued by a series of technical mishaps, causing frustration among its 200 million regular users.

To make matters worse, Musk, who wears many hats as the head honcho of Tesla and SpaceX, has ruffled feathers by introducing charges for previously free services.

Not to mention, he made waves by allowing banned right-wing accounts back on the platform, which didn’t sit well with a lot of folks.

While some competitors have emerged, most of them are niche platforms that simply lack the capacity to challenge Twitter’s dominance.

However, Threads is managing to gain ground more easily, thanks to its close association with Instagram, a social media giant boasting over one billion regular users.

According to online data service Quiver Quantitative, Threads surpassed the impressive milestone of 100 million users on Monday at 07:00 GMT.

Although other websites tallying badges received by Instagram users who downloaded Threads suggest that the mark was surpassed even earlier.

Is Threads a success?

Meta, being an established player in the social media realm with a strong brand presence, definitely has a head start.

Having a well-known name and existing social media infrastructure in place gives them a significant advantage. On the other hand, Threads is already generating a sense of nostalgia among users.

Some have even compared the app’s experience to the early days of Twitter, which can be quite appealing.

However, the future success of Threads is still uncertain. The app currently lacks some key features.

Additionally, Meta faced criticism for a policy that required users attempting to delete their Threads account to also delete their Instagram profile, which raised concerns among users.

It’s worth noting that Europe is a major market for Meta, accounting for approximately 22% of the company’s $28 billion advertising revenue in the first quarter of 2023. How Meta addresses these challenges will play a crucial role in Threads’ future trajectory.

Final thoughts

The initial success of Threads has gained traction thanks to its association with the popular social media platform. The app’s nostalgic appeal, reminiscent of Twitter’s early days, has resonated with some users.

However, the app currently lacks important features like search functionality, hashtags, and a following feed, which may impact its long-term growth.

Only time will tell if Threads can maintain its momentum and compete with established platforms like Twitter.

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