Threads surpasses expectations with unprecedented download numbers - 10 million downloads in just 7 hours!! WOW!!
Instagram's revolutionary new application, Threads, has taken the world by storm, surpassing all expectations with an astonishing number of downloads.
Within a mere 16 hours of its launch, the app was downloaded more than 30 million times, causing a stir among social media enthusiasts. The rapid success of Threads has ignited a fierce rivalry with Twitter, ultimately leading to a legal showdown between the two tech giants. I personally see this as the same rivalry between Burger King and McDonald, but in the field of technology & social media.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, the parent company of Instagram, proudly announced the milestone achievement shortly after the app's release. Just two hours after the launch, Threads had already garnered an impressive two million downloads. But the real breakthrough came when the numbers skyrocketed to five million downloads within another two hours. By the end of that eventful Wednesday night, Threads had surged to an astonishing 10 million downloads. The following morning, the app's popularity reached an unprecedented level, crossing the 30 million download mark, leaving the tech world in awe.
Threads has not only surpassed its closest competitor by the userbase, ChatGPT, a popular chatbot downloaded one million times in its first five days, but it is also projected to outperform ChatGPT's 100 million user milestone within a mere two months. This exceptional growth projection has caught the attention of industry experts and analytics firm Similarweb, who have praised Threads for its rapid ascent to the top of the app charts.
Notable Twitter personalities, including influential figures like Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Gates, Shakira, and Oprah Winfrey, wasted no time in embracing Threads and joining the conversation. The arrival of these celebrities sparked a wave of excitement among users, who eagerly shared welcoming messages and expressed their enthusiasm to delve into one another's posts. The overwhelming response was so intense that the app momentarily experienced instability due to the influx of users.
Mark Zuckerberg, in a post on Threads, expressed his satisfaction with the app's initial success, stating, "This is as good of a start as we could have hoped for!" The CEO, whose company owns Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp, later added, "Feels like the beginning of something special."
The immense popularity of Threads underscores a growing desire among users to explore alternatives to Twitter, the longstanding digital hub for public conversations. Recent changes implemented by Twitter's owner, Elon Musk, have resulted in frustration among longtime users who disagree with his laissez-faire approach to content moderation. Twitter has also been plagued by frequent outages and technical issues, further diminishing its appeal.
In response to Meta's success with Threads, Twitter has fired back with legal threats. Lawyers representing Twitter sent a letter to Meta, accusing the company of utilizing trade secrets to develop Threads. The letter also demanded that Meta preserve internal documents relevant to the ongoing dispute between the two companies. While Meta declined to comment on the situation, this legal confrontation highlights the intensity of the rivalry between the two social media giants.
Threads has proven to be a surprising triumph for Meta, which has been under scrutiny for its role in disseminating misinformation and toxic content across the internet. While Meta has faced criticism in recent years regarding data handling and product-related issues, the remarkable response to Threads offers a glimmer of hope. However, it remains to be seen if this initial momentum can be sustained over the long term.
Inside Meta, employees celebrated the successful launch of Threads, sharing jokes and memes that exemplified the company's positive atmosphere. Celebrities, brands, and influencers were granted early access to the app, a strategic move by Meta to cultivate an engaging and dynamic culture.
To use Threads, one would require an Instagram account and in many countries it is not available for business users. Age limitation it has is 12 years+.
By the end of this post, I just wish Meta doesn't go too far with its copycat ecosystem and ends up being a 'no innovation' entity at all. I still remember how Meta copied Foursquare and launched Places, copied Snapchat and introduced Poke and Slingshot.
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UPDATE: 18th July 2023
As we suspected, Threads' reign was shorter than many other social media platforms.
We name it 'Regression Trend' where active userbase declines sharply.
In the case of Threads, it lost more than half of its active users in a week from 49 million to 23.6 million.