Days after launching on July 5th,  engagement has dropped off a cliff.

Time spent on the app declined 60%  from its peak a few days prior,  

according to the software company SensorTower.

And this was during the first week it launched.

Similarly, software company SimilarWeb  reported Threads' daily active users  

dropped from 49 million to 24 million in a week.

It's even more disappointing considering Threads  

had the greatest start of  any social media app ever.

It reached 100 million users in five days -  surpassing even the rapid rise of ChatGPT.

So, what went wrong?

While the initial interest  may have appeared promising,  

it's possible this was somewhat misleading.

One factor contributing to the surge  of sign-ups how easy it is to join.

I could easily get my puppy onto Threads by  

signing up through her Instagram  account with just a few clicks.

Additionally, Threads offers the feature of  

transferring your Instagram followers  directly onto the new platform.

This could have amplified  the popularity of Threads,  

giving a skewed perception  of genuine user engagement.

Another aspect that's problematic  is that you can't delete your  

Threads account without deleting  your Instagram account as well.

You can deactivate Threads, but you're  locked in unless you choose to delete both.

And privacy concerns are off the charts.

When I compare the privacy labels from  Apple's App Store, I discovered that  

Threads gathers more information than  Twitter, including “sensitive info”.

That includes racial or ethnic data, sexual  orientation, pregnancy or childbirth information,  

disability, religious and philosophical beliefs,  trade union membership, political opinion,  

genetic information, or biometric data - which  includes fingerprints and facial recognition data.

Because it collects so much data, Threads  isn't yet able to launch in Europe,  

as collecting sensitive information requires  a higher standard of legal consent in the EU. 

Meta's track record on privacy is far from clean.

Facebook is known for collecting user data  and allowing advertisers to target them.

Besides privacy concerns,  Threads has limited features.

Unlike Twitter, there's no option of a  home feed just for people you follow,  

though such a feature is in the works.

Instead, the Threads algorithm  pushes content from people you  

don't follow based on what it  determines to be most engaging.

The goal is to keep you on  the platform for longer,  

exposing you to more ads when ads come to Threads.

Additionally, the inability to  view posts chronologically on  

the timeline or search for specific  posts restricts the user experience.

The true success of imitators  typically comes from offering  

an improved version of the original product.

Like when Instagram took inspiration from  Snapchat to create Instagram Stories.

Instagram added new features, such  as the option to pause, rewind,  

and fast-forward through stories, something  that wasn't available on Snapchat at the time.

This enhanced the user experience, and Instagram  Stories surpassed Snapchat's user base.

Threads, however, doesn't  really improve upon Twitter.

It mirrors Twitter - it's hard  to tell them apart - other than  

for a few missing features mentioned earlier.

Meta's sales pitch for Threads  appears to be that it's not Twitter.

Zuckerberg has been trying to  brand Threads as a “kind” and  

“friendly” place where politics and  news apparently won't be emphasized.

However, it's the back-and-forth on  politics, news, and controversial  

topics that makes Twitter so compelling,  drawing people in and keeping them engaged.

By the way, I'd be grateful if you followed  @Newsthink on Twitter. Link in description.

Tucker Carlson's interview with Andrew Tate  has been seen by 92 million users on Twitter.

Tate is a controversial figure who was banned  from the platform prior to Musk taking over.

A big reason the SpaceX and Tesla CEO  acquired Twitter for $44 billion was  

because he felt freedom of  speech had been restricted.

Twitter has been bracing for more competition.

About a week after Threads launched, Twitter  started sharing ad revenue with creators,  

beginning with a portion of the revenue  earned from replies to their posts.

So Twitter is trying to incentivize people to  post great content there, bolstering its appeal.

But maybe it doesn't have to  worry about the competition.

Will Threads end up in the graveyard of  other failed Meta projects, like Lasso,  

Facebook's answer to TikTok, or  Hobbi, its answer to Pinterest?

The huge drop in engagement so soon  after launch suggests it's headed  

down that direction unless the app improves.

But maybe…this wasn't about  Threads but a bigger plan.

Threads could be part of Zuckerberg's wider  goal to build the metaverse, a virtual reality  

space that enables users to interact with each  other inside a computer-generated environment.

Meta says it plans to decentralize Threads,  meaning it will work with other non-Meta  

social networks, which aligns with Meta's vision  for the metaverse, a seamless online ecosystem  

where interactions are not limited to  one specific platform like Facebook.

The rivalry with Twitter is not  confined to the virtual world.

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg may be  stepping into an entirely different ring,  

possibly fighting in an MMA-style match!

Who would you place your bet  on? Let me know in the comments.

As fascinating as this fight would be,  

I really do hope they're not seriously injured  as their tech companies need their big brains.

The brains behind their  platforms are skilled engineers.

It's the kind of skill that is so  important to foster - especially today.

I highly recommend Brilliant,  a website and app where you can  

brush up on your k knowledge in math, data  science, and computer science interactively.

If you're curious about how recommendation  algorithms work and how they predict content  

you'd love, dive into their new  'How Technology Works' course.

Using Brilliant is part of my daily  routine. I like to dive into their  

Logic puzzles which is a fantastic way  to sharpen my analytical thinking skills.

To try out Brilliant, you can  start with a FREE 30-day trial by  

signing up via my custom link in the  description: brilliant.org/newsthink

And the first 200 people to sign up  through my custom link will receive  

a 20% discount on Brilliant's Premium annual  subscription, unlocking all of the offerings.

Thanks for watching, I'm Cindy Pom.