Threads by Meta is Failing to Retain User's Attention

Threads by Meta took the internet by storm when it gained 40 million subscribers in a single day. Needless to say, the new social platform, proved to be the biggest threat to its competitor, Twitter. Social media users have been thrilled to use the new app and jumped on the bandwagon quickly as they expect it to be different from other social networks. But sadly, during the last month, social media experts noticed a massive drop in traffic. Now, it could be too early to label Threads a failure, but it does make me wonder, what went wrong? Since, its release, the app has been news for all the positive reasons but the sudden decline has made users question its capability to succeed. Let's have a close look at the reasons that indicate why the new social app is facing difficulty in retaining users.

Threads traffic drops – What could be the reason

As mentioned above, Threads by Meta is struggling to maintain its subscriber list. While Twitter is moving forward toward rebranding, thanks to Elon Musk, the latest social media app is stressed to keep its users. Here are some potential reasons which Threads could be failing to keep its users happy.

Lacks Popular Features

Several of the functionality that consumers have come to anticipate from social media platforms are missing from the app. For instance, Threads' lack of hashtag search-ability makes it challenging for users to locate information that piques their attention. In addition, the program lacks the capacity to make live videos, group conversations, or polls—all popular features on other social media sites.

Shareability is Limited to One Platform

Facebook and Instagram are not integrated with Threads accounts or other Meta platforms. This can limit the reach of the content on Threads because users cannot simply share it on other platforms. For instance, a person cannot quickly share a photo they upload on Threads to their Facebook or Instagram account. Because of this, it is challenging for users to share content on Threads with their entire network.

Visually It is Boring

Threads by Instagram is not as graphically appealing compared to other social media platforms. The user interface of the app is cluttered and challenging to use. Users may find it challenging to read and interact with the app due to the bright colors and small text.

Poorly Promoted

The marketing of Threads is ineffective. The app's fall in engagement can be partly attributed to Meta's poor user promotion of it. The business has not partnered with influencers or sponsored any advertisements for Threads to promote the app. Meta needs to solve the problems leading users to stop using Threads to turn the situation around. The business must expand the app's functionality, by connecting Threads to other Meta platforms and enhancing the user interface. Additionally, Meta must improve its promotion of Threads among users. Threads may yet succeed as a social networking site if Meta can resolve these problems. But if the business does nothing, Thread's social media presence is probably going to vanish into obscurity.

Twitter vs Threads: Which Is Right for You?

Twitter and Threads are having tough competition since the latter came into the market. Both platforms are said to be similar as they seem to be designed for the same purpose, which is sharing short, concise messages. However, here are some differences we found between the two platforms:

Twitter

· The character limit for a tweet on Twitter is 280 characters.
· Readership: Since Twitter is an open platform, anyone may view your tweets.
· Features: Hashtags, retweets, and mentions are just a few of the features that Twitter offers.

Main point: Twitter is a useful tool for disseminating news, current affairs, and opinions on various subjects.

Threads

· Each thread in Threads is limited to 500 characters.
· Since Threads is a private site, only they can view your threads.
· The ability to add images, videos, and geographical data to your threads is one of the benefits that Threads offers.

Main point: Sharing personal updates, tales, and images with your close friends and family is a good use of the Threads platform.

Is Threads By Meta Failing Rapidly?

It is too early to say if the social app is failing, however, digital statistics don’t really provide any relief. Recent app’s metrics showcased that the average time spend each day on Twitter’s competitor was reduced dramatically from 21 minutes to 6 minutes among the US users. Furthermore, the count of daily active users on Meta’s Threads also declined from 49 million to 23.6 million in mid-July. Compared to these metrics, Twitter has been doing better than Threads. When asked about the sudden drops, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, said that engagement was not their prime focus but actually surpassing the initial issues that come along with a product launch. Mark Zuckerberg, was excited to see the growing users in the initial stage and stated, that the company would be working through the remaining year, focusing on user retention. As long as the Threads team has a plan, it seems like social media might survive on its own after all. But how effective their time will be, that only time can tell.