The Threads App: A Sleeping Giant or a Missed Shot?

Grace Edwards 23 Sep 2023

Threads, the Meta-owned app, has been making waves in the tech industry since its inception. However, Instagram's chief, Adam Mosseri, recently shared that user engagement on Threads isn't quite at the level they'd like it to be. In his weekly Q&A on Instagram Stories, Mosseri gave an update on the state of Threads, hinting at the challenges the app is facing and the efforts being made to enhance it.

Mosseri shared that, despite a significant number of users, people aren't using Threads as frequently as the team would like. This observation aligns with third-party reports indicating a drop in daily usage time from an initial 21 minutes to a mere 6 minutes. For reference, Elon Musk reported that users were spending around 31 minutes per day on a comparable app. However, Threads is still in its developmental stages, and thus, it's hard to predict its future trajectory.

The Threads team has identified several key focus areas to improve the app. The first area is messaging. Mosseri mentioned that messaging needs to be simplified, hinting at a possible integration with Instagram inbox. The second area is discovery. Currently, Threads utilizes Instagram usage to suggest topics of interest, which hasn't been as effective as hoped. Lastly, the team is looking to improve its account recommendations, aiming to suggest accounts that users would specifically want to follow on Threads.

Furthermore, Mosseri highlighted the need for an edit button, the development of which is already in progress. The current prototype allows users a five-minute window after publishing to edit their threads. However, a release date for this feature hasn't been announced yet. Additionally, Threads is currently unavailable for EU residents, but Mosseri assured that the team is working on compliance with upcoming regulations to change this.

Threads still has a long way to go before it can become a formidable platform. However, it's worth noting that despite the hurdles, Threads remains more popular than other recent alternatives. The team behind Threads is aware of the challenges and is actively working towards improvement. Whether Threads will continue to hold its ground or will fade away in the face of competition remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: Threads is not backing down without a fight.