It was promised to be the safe space for those looking to escape a post Elon Twitter world, but in all the bravado of Threads, the active users have started dwindling. So, is Threads still the distraction for a now rather controversial Twitter?

There’s been a lot of famous rivalries in history: Harry Potter versus Draco Malfoy, the Montagues versus the Capulets, Collingwood Football Club versus… well… everyone. And now, Musk versus Zuckerberg is the billionaire rivalry that no one asked for. Yet, from the two announcing (then subsequently cancelling) a physical fight through to Zuckerberg’s Meta launching Threads to compete with the recently Musk-acquired Twitter, this rivalry is on par with a bad D-Grade film. Two cartoonish villains competing for the spot of top tech billionaire. 

When Zuckerberg announced that the latest in his Meta suite would be a rival for Twitter, people paid attention. The Facebook mogul saw the downfall of Twitter as whispers swirled that Musk was tanking a newly purchased Twitter – and quickly. 

The app-only platform is similar to Twitter, with the ability to share text, images and videos as well as interact with other users’ posts through replies, reposts and likes. Closely linked to Instagram, one of the criticisms is that users need to have an Instagram account to active Threads. 

But criticism aside, the newest social media platform launched on 5 July 2023.

Threads launches to record breaking numbers

It started with staggering promise, as Threads became the fastest-growing consumer software application in history. Its first five days saw it gain over 100 million followers, surpassing the record previously set by ChatGPT. 

Active users significantly decreases

Locally, the numbers were also noteworthy. Over two million Australians jumped aboard the bandwagon. 

But, with research from digital intelligence platform Similarweb, these active users have been logging off and quickly as they logged on. Engagement with the platform is down 79 percent, with 576,000 monthly users as of 7 August 2023.

On August’s busiest day, the number of users on Threads was less than half of that on Twitter. 

It’s too early to call the future of Threads, but there’s one thing for sure – this Musk versus Zuckerberg rivalry has definitely lost viewers.