BuzzFix: Was Mark Zuckerberg's Twitter Clone 'Threads' a Bad Idea?

Mark Zuckerberg is definitely not shy about copying a good idea. Meta’s Threads app is a proof. Launched on July 6, the app created quite a stir. If you are one of the lucky ones to dodge another social media app, Threads is a text-based alternative to Twitter, posing a significant challenge to the microblogging site currently owned by TeslaMan Elon Musk. “Let’s do this. Welcome to Threads,” wrote Zuck in his first post on the platform. As per the company, the app provides “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations.”

Day of Launch

Call it Zuckerberg’s personal vendetta against Elon, or a step ahead in Instagram’s growth but the app managed to create a frenzy among people with one million users joining the new platform in under two hours. It took Twitter two years to reach this benchmark. In less than a week, Threads gathered 100 million sign ups.

Also Read: Threads User Points Out How Twitter’s Clone App is Similar to ‘Adipurush’, Pic Goes Viral

Zuckerberg Tweets After 11 Years

Zuckerberg was off Twitter for more than 11 years. However, he made a comeback to the birdapp at around the same time as Threads was launched. Taking to Twitter, the Facebook founder shared a meme. Taking a jibe at Musk, he posted an image of Spiderman pointing at Spiderman.

Elon Takes a Jibe at Zuckerberg

The launch of Twitter’s clone app started a war of words between tech titans Musk and Zuckerberg and understandably so. Musk did not hold back a bit and took a jibe at Zuckerberg via tweet that read, “Zuck is a cuck.” This came as a reply to the screenshot of a Threads post by fast food chain Wendy’s. Wendy’s took a dig at Musk and tagged Zuckerberg. It wrote, “hey @zuck, you should go to space just to really make him mad lol”.

Twitter Threatens to Sue Meta

The war was not limited to just text. Twitter threatened to sue Meta over hiring former Twitter employees who “had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information.” Musk confirmed the news by replying to a post by a page called ‘Twitter Daily News.’ The post talked about a lawsuit against Threads that violates its “intellectual property rights”. Replying to the post, the Tesla chief wrote, “competition is fine, cheating is not.”

What Happens Now?

In a world where we are constantly battling our screen time, the app created buzz like no other. Fast-forward to the present day, the hype for the platform seems to be plummeting. Threads’ daily active users have come down to 23.6 million on July 14 after hitting a peak of 49 million on July 7. These numbers may see more decline as per the Google Trends and “Interests.” Meanwhile, Twitter had about 107 million users on July 14. However, this is not the only concern for Zuck. Not only do Threads have fewer people logging in, but those who do appear to be spending less time. Reports claim that users spent six minutes on the app on July 14 as compared to 21 minutes on July 7.

Swift Return to Twitter

Amid the social media storm and battle for the numbers, it is safe to say that ‘Threads’ fever has subsided at quite a pace. People who spent the vacation on Threads and “cheated” on Twitter are returning to latter platform because Zuck’s app is just “boring” now. We aren’t saying this. Many took to Twitter and expressed their disappointment. “How are people enjoying threads? That app is so boring,” wrote a Twitter user. Another person chimed in with a similar tone, “Is anyone else thinking… wow threads got really boring really fast?”

Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri claimed that Threads will not promote any “newsy” content. This means that the platform only consists of people from your circuit, and everyone else will be followed from scratch.

Could that be the reason for Threads going downhill so fast? Is it the lack of anonymity, a super-power of sorts that has thrived on the bird app for so many years? Yes, unlike Twitter, people cannot use Threads anonymously. For y’all, the lucky ones who maintain social distance with the social media, Threads is directly linked to Instagram and there is no alternative way for you to sign up.

Also Read: Twitter Users Are Deleting ‘Threads’ App, Here is All You Need to Know

Are the good times over for Threads?

Mark Zuckerberg would definitely want to know.