In a notable shift within the social media industry, Threads, an Instagram-backed application, is witnessing a significant resurgence in popularity, as evidenced by its recent spike in downloads. This comes at a time when Twitter, now under Elon Musk’s ownership, is experiencing a noticeable decline in new downloads.
Last month, Threads achieved an impressive milestone, ranking as the fourth most downloaded app on the iOS platform and eighth on Google Play. This marked a dramatic upswing in its popularity, as it recorded a combined total of 28 million downloads across both platforms. Notably, this surge in interest in Threads outpaced other major social media apps such as Telegram, Snapchat, Spotify, and even Twitter.
This resurgence of Threads is particularly striking as the app had not appeared in the top 10 most-downloaded apps since August. This previous peak in popularity was attributed to the addition of new sharing and discovery features. Instagram’s recent strategy to promote Threads content on its platform appears to have contributed significantly to the renewed interest in the app.
In contrast, Twitter, a stalwart in the social media landscape since 2006, seems to be losing ground. In December, it was ranked 36th across Apple and Google app stores in terms of downloads. This drop-off is evident when compared to Threads’ soaring download numbers.
Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Threads was nearing 100 million users in October. A Meta representative confirmed to PCMag that Threads has now exceeded this user base, with official figures expected to be released during Meta’s Q4 earnings call.
While Twitter, particularly in its current iteration under Musk’s leadership, continues to be a major player in terms of active users, the decline in new user downloads suggests a shift in the social media landscape. Threads’ recent success, contrasted with Twitter’s downturn in downloads, highlights the evolving nature of user preferences and the competitive dynamics within the social media market.
