Threads Has 150 Mn Monthly Active Users: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Meta's social networking platform Threads continues to show robust growth, reaching over 150 million monthly active users, a significant increase from 130 million in February. 

This was revealed by Mark Zuckerberg during Meta’s first-quarter earnings call in 2024. Threads has also surpassed its rival X in terms of daily active users in the United States, according to a recent report by Business Insider, citing data from app analytics firm Apptopia.

In a strategic move to enhance connectivity and appeal, Threads has begun integrating with ActivityPub, the decentralised protocol that powers networks such as Mastodon. This integration, which began in March, allows US-based users who are over 18 to link their Threads accounts to the Fediverse, enabling their posts to appear across different servers. This step towards decentralisation might be fueling the platform’s growing popularity among users seeking more control over their social media interactions.

Further expanding its capabilities, Meta announced plans to release Threads’ API to a broad set of developers by June 2024. This will enable the creation of new experiences on the platform, although it remains unclear if this will include the ability to develop full-fledged third-party clients.

Despite the expansion of Meta’s AI chatbot across other platforms like Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram, Threads has not yet included this feature, possibly due to the absence of a native direct messaging function. However, Threads is not lagging in innovating other features; a new test feature allows users to auto-archive their posts after a predefined period, enhancing user privacy and control.

As Threads grows, it distinctly positions itself differently from other social networks by focusing on personal and casual content rather than news amplification, as pointed out by Instagram Head Adam Mosseri last October. This could be part of its appeal, attracting users who prefer social interactions that are less centered around the often contentious sphere of news dissemination.