Threads: A Social Media Success.
Meta's Threads continues rapid growth, matching X in users and aiming for a billion.
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Meta's Threads has hit 500 million monthly users, matching the size of Elon Musk's X, according to Miami Herald. The milestone comes less than two years after Meta launched the app to challenge X — then called Twitter — following Musk's chaotic $44 billion takeover in 2022.
Threads grew faster than any app in history at launch, surpassing ChatGPT's record by reaching 100 million sign-ups in just days, Mahoning Matters reported. Now, with a goal of 1 billion users, Threads is closing in on Snapchat, which currently has 956 million users.
How Threads Quietly Became a Social Media Giant
When Musk took over Twitter in 2022, he fired thousands of employees, changed the name to X, and rattled advertisers. Meta moved fast. It launched Threads in July 2023, tying it directly to Instagram. That link gave Threads an instant base of potential users numbering in the billions, according to Charlotte Observer.
Silicon Valley quickly shifted its attention to artificial intelligence. Many expected Threads to fade. Instead, it kept growing. Meta reported the 500 million monthly user figure last month, putting Threads on equal footing with X, News Observer reported.
Meta Built Threads to Feel Calmer Than X
Meta made a deliberate choice with Threads: keep news and politics in the background. The company positioned the app as a conversational space — a place for hobbies, humor, and community, not heated political debate, according to Star-Telegram.
To build that sense of community, Meta added official channels for specific groups inside the app. Think of them like dedicated rooms where fans of a topic can gather. The move mirrors features on other platforms but gives Threads a more organized feel, Idaho Statesman reported.
The Road to 1 Billion Users — and What Stands in the Way
Threads' next target is 1 billion monthly users. Crossing that line would make it larger than Snapchat's current 956 million users. It would also put Threads in the same league as Facebook and Instagram, both of which already top 2 billion users, Ledger Enquirer reported.
But questions remain about Meta's bigger picture. Analysts wonder whether the company can grow beyond social networking into areas like AI and the metaverse. Threads is a clear win, but it is still a social network — the thing Meta already knows how to build, according to Kansas.com.
X vs. Threads: Two Very Different Bets on What Users Want
Musk has leaned into controversy at X. He restored banned accounts, cut content moderation, and made the platform a hub for political debate. Advertisers pulled back. Some users left. X's exact user numbers are disputed, but Meta says Threads has now matched it at 500 million monthly users, Bradenton reported.
The two platforms now represent opposite philosophies. X bets that raw, unfiltered speech draws users. Threads bets that a calmer, less political feed does. With half a billion monthly users already, Threads' approach appears to be working, according to Macon.com.
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