Instagram’s new text-based app, Threads, has taken the social media world by storm, garnering an astonishing 100 million sign-ups within just five days of its launch. The app, which was released on June 6 (June 5 in the Americas), has exceeded all expectations, as confirmed by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram.
Mosseri expressed his disbelief at the overwhelming response, stating, “100 million people signed up for Threads in five days. I’m not sure I can wrap my mind around that fact. It’s insane; I can’t make sense of it.” He also commended his team’s dedication and acknowledged that while they may have encountered some challenges, they were determined to make the app exceptional.
The rapid growth of Threads was apparent from the start, as Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, the parent company of Instagram, revealed that the app garnered 2 million sign-ups in just two hours, followed by 5 million sign-ups in four hours, and an impressive 10 million registered users within seven hours. The following day, Zuckerberg announced that over 30 million individuals had signed up to explore the new platform. Notably, these achievements were reached without the app being available in the European Union due to privacy concerns.
Threads has achieved what took other platforms months to accomplish within its first month alone. For comparison, OpenAI’s ChatGPT bot, another rapidly growing consumer product, gained 10 million daily users in 40 days and reached 100 million monthly users in nearly two months. The fact that Threads has already surpassed 100 million monthly active users indicates a significant achievement. However, the true challenge lies in retaining these users on the platform.
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While many users have eagerly embraced Meta’s new text-focused social platform, some have noted missing features. Most notably, Threads does not yet support ActivityPub, the protocol used for posts on decentralized networks. Meta has assured users that they are actively working on integrating this feature. Until then, Threads will not be able to fully participate in the Fediverse.
Additionally, the app currently lacks several functionalities present in other social media platforms. There is no read-only web interface, no support for post search, direct messages, hashtags, or a “Following” feed. Moreover, due to Instagram’s policies, the app prohibits nudity, unlike its counterpart Bluesky, which embraces such content.
Despite these limitations, the phenomenal achievement of amassing 100 million users within such a short span of time solidifies Threads’ presence in the social media landscape. With its user base continuing to grow, it is clear that Threads is here to stay. The challenge for the team behind the app will be to address user concerns and deliver on their promise of making the platform exceptional, ensuring that users remain engaged and satisfied in the long run.
