social media platforms

Threads is hanging on by a thread, LITERALLY. Threads emerged as the hot new app, launched on the fourth of July, 2023  and was presumed to be the app to be on. Similar to X, formerly known as Twitter, Threads is a text-based platform where content creators and businesses could connect and discuss topics and start conversations. Owned by Instagram and Meta, it’s another way of keeping users on the app and to continue engaging with each other. Unfortunately, the rise of Threads has slowly begun to fall and has been kicked to the corner by many. In this month’s blog, we’re going to explore the evolution of Threads, its use and benefits for businesses and creators, and give our verdict on whether Threads will survive another year.

Did you know Threads was already launched by Instagram in 2019, originally a “camera-first messaging app”. Sounds very similar, no? (hello BeReal!). When you start a new account on social media, you have to build it from scratch. 

With threads, your followers are automatically transferred over to the new platform. Your feed consists of accounts you already follow with suggested content from other creators that Instagram’s algorithm has favored.

Less than a week after Thread’s launch, it crossed the 100 million user mark. Who’s surprised though? When a new app comes on the scene, people are hungry to try it out. The general verdict across social media is people are getting bored and frustrated because of an increase of paid ads and promotions. 

People don’t feel like they can connect with people anymore because everything feels like an ad. We wrote an article here about how authenticity is in, artificiality is out. People want to buy from people but they want autonomy over what and how they buy. 

Threads gave people a space to chill out and take a breather. 

Threads was released as a competitor to Twitter, however there aren’t many differences between the two. Both share the same features with images, videos but the MAIN difference is Threads has a character limit of 500 words (YAY, more space to write), compared to Twitter’s 280 characters.

X (I’m still not used to this, it’ll always be Twitter), gives more of a newspaper vibe but in real time whereas Threads is more about creating a community.

Even though Twitter is Threads’ competitor, there are a few other platforms that could be seen to be a competitor. 

It mightn’t surprise you but Reddit is a HUGE place to start public conversations, create a community and you can find pretty much anything on the platform. 

One of the weirdest questions on Reddit we found was “if the Earth was perfectly smooth, would water still form oceans?”. Nothing like an existential crisis to wake us up to reality. 

There’s millions of different subreddits, ones called r/shower thoughts and r/NoStupidQuestions (no such thing as a stupid question, we like it), that people get involved in and share their own thoughts and opinions. 

Threads also has an ephemeral feature, messages disappearing after 24 hours, which suits people who are cautious about their digital footprint. This feature is also common on Snapchat and Instagram stories. 

Funnily enough, Instagram launched their previous version of Threads to compete with Snapchat but never gained enough traction, which led to it being discontinued in 2021. 

LinkedIn in recent months has become a hub for authenticity and storytelling despite it being a “professional” platform. There’s been a move from hard sales and posting about your new job to a place for storytelling and creating a community. 

The similarity between LinkedIn and Threads are that they are both text-based platforms and both are focused on engagement and building a more intimate connection with your audience. 

While LinkedIn is still the place to find the hustler entrepreneurs and pointers on how to buy time back for your business, Threads is more along the vibe of the cool kids hanging out at a cafe, discussing what flavors they get in their matcha coffee. 

Threads has taken different features across the text-based platforms and combined them into one but we’re still not convinced…

When Threads launched, everyone wanted to get on the app and check it out for themselves. This also meant businesses were curious as to whether they needed to be on yet another app. 

Threads created an intimate space for businesses and customers to speak directly to each other instead of messages getting lost in the DM’s. This created more of a connection and allowed them to address any concerns quicker in a more casual setting. 

Because of its real-time conversations, it gave off a sense of exclusivity because of its ephemeral messaging. Limited offers or discounts set off a sense of urgency and feels like a bond between the business and the customer. 

The ability to also share short videos and photos with ephemeral messaging could have been useful for offering quick tutorials or showcasing new products. 

However, there are drawbacks for businesses.

Even though many rushed to the app when it launched, the rise of users quickly slowed down. Businesses have a limited amount of time and adding another app to the list, they need to make sure what they put in will be returned. For some, this was too much of a risk.

Like any platform, you need to learn the new tools and come up with yet another strategy, sending marketers into overload. If you got something good going, sometimes its better to stick to what you know. 

All of this comes down to what the businesses goals were in the long run. A business that wanted a more interactive way to connect with a smaller, engaged audience could benefit from the app. Not to mention, it’s a good place for businesses to do market research and see what people are talking about. 

This could have led to new ideas and product launches which would make customers feel valued and heard. 

But if a business was looking for long-term brand building, sticking to what they know like Instagram or TikTok is better for the long run.

At this moment, Threads has 175 million monthly active users in July 2024, with an increase of 25 million since April. However, compare that to Twitter (X) who has 550 million people accessing the platform on a monthly basis. Although there’s still an active presence on the app, it still remains a fraction of the size of Twitter (X). 

Reviews across the internet about the platform are fifty fifty. Like any text-based platform, it’s much easier to create content at a quicker speed in comparison to the production process with Instagram and TikTok. Its ability to create an interactive and engaging community would suit niche brands and micro-influencers because of its personalization while for larger businesses, it could be used as an informal and direct customer support service.

Every once in a while, someone will mention Threads but for now, the hype around the social media app has died down.

Threads had everyone in a frenzy with yet another app for business owners, influencers and entrepreneurs to worry about. 

Although it rose to fame within a few days, the virality didn’t last long. 

It’s interesting to think about why Threads didn’t continue to grow. 

Even though Threads originally started out as a camera app, there were too many platforms to compete with. Think YouTube and TikTok. 

When Elon decided to rebrand Twitter and officially change it to X, Instagram saw it as an opportunity to revive the platform in hopes that it would fill its shoes. 

People like predictability and are more inclined to stick to what they know. Unfortunately, Threads didn’t spark enough interest to garner a reaction from the late majority. 

Although there’s no definite statistic on why video outperforms text, video has a much lower barrier to entry, requiring less cognitive effort to process information. Our brain processes visuals easier and quicker, invoking an emotion and telling a story that draws the person in. 

Our attention span could also have a part to play in why people prefer video-based platforms, compared to text-based platforms. 

Even though Threads is still running at this moment, it’s unclear whether it’ll be an active platform by the end of the year. Who knows, it might revive itself and come back as Threads 3.0.

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