Twitter competitor
Web analytics data shows decreased thread usage
Threads broke the 100 million sign-up mark over the weekend. photo
© Murat Kocabas/SOPA/ZUMA/dpa
With 100 million registrations within a few days, the Twitter alternative Threads got off to a great start. But do the users come back every day? Not necessarily, according to initial analyses.
The development shows that, despite the hype at the start last Thursday, it will not be so easy for threads to find a permanent place in the everyday life of Internet users, Sensor Tower Manager Anthony Bartolacci told the US broadcaster CNBC.
The Twitter alternative of the Facebook group Meta had already cracked the mark of 100 million registrations at the weekend. It helped that Threads is docked to the popular photo and video app Instagram. Instagram users can also create a Threads profile in just a few clicks.
Time spent on threads: 8 minutes on average
The web analysis company Similarweb came up with similar numbers as Sensor Tower. The number of daily active users with Android smartphones has fallen by a quarter. When it comes to the time spent in threads, Similarweb estimates an average of 8 minutes, up from 20 minutes previously. Lots of people were interested in trying out Threads, but it hasn’t become a daily habit for all of them, Similarweb’s David Carr told CNBC.
At the same time, the market researchers’ figures are only estimates based on the data available to them. Only the Facebook group itself has the full knowledge.
The meta app looks pretty much like Twitter. You can follow other users and forward posts to your own followers. However, there are also differences: In addition to the accounts they follow, users of threads also receive “recommended content” from other profiles in their feed. The posts are not displayed in chronological order, but sorted by the software. First of all, there is no option to only display content from the profiles that you follow.
Still access to threads in Europe
In the European Union, you cannot register for Threads for the time being – and Meta also took additional measures so that the app cannot be used in this country. Registered users have been complaining since Friday night that they only have access to all functions in the EU area if they hide their location using a VPN service. You can still read the thread posts in a web version.
“Threads is currently unavailable in most countries in Europe and we have taken additional measures to prevent people from those countries from accessing Threads,” said a Meta spokesperson. The group refers to open legal questions. The effects of the EU digital laws Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act are likely to be meant.