Web Version Launched Early This Week
Expecting Expanded Service Reach
User Count Drops Sharply to 8 Million
Preparing Upgrades Including Search Functionality
Meta announced plans to launch the web version of Threads, its social networking service (SNS) released as a rival to X (formerly Twitter), within this week. This move appears to be a measure to address the significant decline in Threads users just one month after its launch.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 20th (local time), Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, stated on his Instagram, "We plan to release the web version soon and it is currently in internal testing. Although there are some bugs, we plan to share it with everyone as soon as it is ready." Other Meta officials also mentioned that while plans could change, the web version is expected to be released early this week.
The web version of Threads has been one of the features users have been hoping for. Currently, Threads lacks a search function, and posts are uploaded optimized for the mobile version, limiting the experience when viewed on the web version.
As the number of Threads users has rapidly declined recently, Meta is actively working on launching new features as a countermeasure. Threads was launched on the 5th of last month and surpassed 100 million users within five days, but by the 31st of last month, the number had dropped to around 8 million. This means the actual user base has shrunk to less than one-tenth of its peak.
Data analytics platform Sensor Tower cited the lack of direct messaging (DM) functionality and insufficient content as reasons for the decline in Threads users. Although some influencers were recruited at the time of service launch, the volume of content they produce does not meet expectations compared to X and Instagram. The absence of DM functionality also fails to satisfy users' desire for communication, which is analyzed as another cause of user attrition.
To prevent user churn, Meta has newly added features such as a follows tab that makes it easy to see who is following you and a translation function that allows reading text in different languages.
Furthermore, Meta expects this update to strengthen Threads' competitiveness. The release of the web version is anticipated to be effective in promoting the service via the internet. Sam Saliba, who served as the global brand marketing head at Instagram, emphasized, "This update will provide a wider reach, more features, and better data collection capabilities," adding, "The web version of Threads will be a significant advantage for Meta in competing with X."
In addition, Meta is also considering introducing additional search functions. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced earlier this month that "an enhanced search function will be launched within a few weeks." Currently, Threads does not offer keyword-based search functionality.
However, CEO Mosseri emphasized that the search function upgrade is different from the introduction of hashtags. He explained, "Instead, we are focusing much more on the web version and the search itself," adding, "(The improved search function) will meet users' demands for hashtags."
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