Threads Breaks Records With 100 Million Users While Twitter’s Traffic Sinks

Threads, Mark Zuckerberg’s newest social media product, has surged past 100 million installs barely five days after it launched, according to data tracking platform Quiver Quantitative. With the latest feat, Threads has now become the fastest app to cross 100 million users, easily beating OpenAI’s ChatGPT which entered the 100 million user club after two months.

Threads, a text-based conversation app, joins Meta Platforms’ suite of products with over 100 million users including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The new app is closely linked to Instagram, and at the moment, Thread users can’t delete their accounts without deleting their Instagram accounts. Meta told The Messenger it is working to fix this problem.

Meta also said it will introduce several new features to the new product as it launched a direct challenge to Twitter. Last week, Meta announced an Android beta program to test new features. Some anticipated updates include a chronological timeline with real-time updates similar to Twitter.

Meta is making a sharp run on text-based communication — and taking advantage of discontent at Twitter. New owner Elon Musk has introduced several unpopular changes to Twitter that are driving away users. At the same time, Musk has overseen massive layoffs at the company and directly antagonized news media companies. Since Threads’ launch, Twitter’s site traffic has sharply declined, according to Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince.

Meanwhile, Threads continues to rise above expectations, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said.

“I’ve always thought there would be a town square app with 1 billion+ people,” Zuckerberg posted on Threads. “It’s wild that after a few days it seems possible to people that Thread has a shot.”

Meta says will avoid some of Twitter’s to create a “less angry place” for conversations. “The goal isn’t to replace Twitter,” said Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram. “The goal is to create a public square for communities on Instagram that never really embraced Twitter and for communities on Twitter (and other platforms) that are interested in a less angry place for conversations, but not all of Twitter.”

But unlike Twitter, which has become a major conduit for news distribution and discovery, Threads won’t prioritize news, Mosseri has said on the app. “There are more than enough amazing communities — sports, music, fashion, beauty, entertainment, etc. — to make a vibrant platform without needing to get into politics or hard news.”

It’s unclear if Meta’s strategy will keep the attention of the audience fleeing from Twitter — but for now, the app is breaking records.