Meta’s Threads Reaches 100 Million Users in Record Time
Threads, the Twitter rival developed by Meta, has experienced a remarkable launch. In a mere four days since its release on Wednesday evening, the app has already amassed over 100 million users, as reported by Quiver Quantitative’s Threads Tracker. The fact that Threads is a companion app to Instagram has undoubtedly contributed to its rapid success, as it allows the platform’s vast user base of over one billion individuals to easily register. However, it is worth noting that residents of the European Union are currently unable to access the app, as it is not yet available in their region.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has provided several updates to Threads’ user numbers. The app had 10 million users in the first seven hours and more than 30 million by Thursday morning. About 24 hours later, the number had more than doubled.
It’s still very, very early days for Threads, as the app lacks basic features that many users consider essential. It has few usability options at a moment’s notice, and it is not possible for users of screen readers to attach alternative text to the image. Search is limited to usernames, there’s no hashtag support, and you can’t post from the web to Threads.
Perhaps most annoyingly for people used to Twitter, Threads does not yet have a chronological message feed. The algorithmic feed is filled with brands, influencers and celebrities, making it difficult for users to keep up with what friends and family are posting. The chronological feed is coming, but Twitter may still be many people’s favorite app for up-to-the-minute news.
“Politics and hard news are inevitably going to show up on Threads — they’re also on Instagram to some extent — but we’re not going to do anything to encourage those verticals,” Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said, noting that Threads isn’t a replacement for Twitter.
“Politics and hard news are important, I don’t want to imply otherwise,” Mosseri added. “But my view is that from a platform perspective, any additional engagement or revenue they might generate is absolutely not worth the scrutiny, the negativity (let’s be honest) or the risks to be honest. There are more than enough incredible communities out there. – sports, music, fashion, beauty, entertainment, etc. – to create a lively platform without having to go into politics or hard news.”
Quiver Quantitative Threads Tracker uses data taken from Instagram users’ profiles, according to the person who built the tool, founder Christopher Kardatzke. “By looking at the profiles of people who have joined the platform, I can see where they were in the queue and get an overview of how many users have signed up,” he said. He added that the ratings appear to be in line with Zuckerberg’s Threads posts about user milestones.
