Last month, Threads.net saw a surge in traffic, racking up 21.7 million hits from U.S. visitors on both mobile and desktop platforms — the highest recorded traffic since its heavily promoted launch, supported by Instagram’s massive user base, according to Similarweb.com.
When Threads first launched in July 2023, it quickly amassed 100 million users by leveraging Instagram’s vast audience. While initial sign-ups were easy to gain, keeping users engaged proved challenging, with headlines frequently highlighting the platform’s struggles to rival Twitter (now X). Many users tried it once but hesitated to return, as the platform initially struggled with retention and user engagement.
Despite these hurdles, Threads appears to be stabilizing. Three months ago, it hit a milestone of 175 million users, and the latest traffic data indicates steady growth, though it only accounts for website visits and excludes in-app usage, where a significant portion of engagement likely occurs.
Finding Its Thread
Threads still faces significant challenges if it aims to compete with X, the largest text-based social media platform. In September, its 21.7 million U.S. visits represented just 2% of the 1.02 billion U.S. visits recorded by X, highlighting the scale of competition.
In terms of engagement, Threads has yet to match the interaction levels of other social platforms. According to recent social media metrics:
Average time spent per session on Threads lags behind at 3 minutes compared to X’s 8 minutes.
Daily active users on Threads are estimated at 9% of its total user base, while X holds closer to 20%.
Engagement on Threads has also seen a slight increase, with likes and replies up by 12% over the last quarter, suggesting users are gradually becoming more active.
One area of concern is an “engagement bait” trend, where some Threads users post provocative content intended to stir reactions and boost visibility. This tactic is becoming common, as creators look for ways to stand out in a feed that remains a bit chaotic.
While Threads has shown recent growth, it still has a long journey ahead to challenge X’s dominance in the text-based social media landscape.
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