Threads, the new app introduced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has achieved a remarkable milestone by attracting over 100 million users in less than a week. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s micro-blogging platform, Twitter, has reportedly experienced a decline in traffic, according to a tech executive.
The initial success of Threads has ignited a war of words between Musk and Zuckerberg. Musk referred to his tech rival as a “cuck” and challenged him to a “dick measuring contest” over the weekend.
Users have not only been signing up for Threads through their Instagram accounts but have also been actively posting. Since its launch on Wednesday, Threads users have created more than 95 million posts and clicked the “like” button on 190 million posts, as reported by The Verge.
While Threads gains momentum in its early days, Twitter’s traffic has reportedly been on the decline, according to Matthew Prince, CEO of cybersecurity firm Cloudflare. Prince shared a graph on both his Twitter and Threads accounts on Sunday, illustrating the steep drop in traffic.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his surprise at the overwhelming response to Threads, stating that the launch had exceeded their expectations. In a Threads post, Zuckerberg emphasized that his service aims to be a friendlier version of Twitter.
“Our goal is to maintain a friendly environment as it expands. I believe it’s possible and will ultimately be the key to its success,” he wrote. “That’s one reason why Twitter didn’t succeed as much as I think it should have, and we want to approach it differently.”
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, clarified that Threads does not intend to replicate Twitter’s focus on breaking news and current events. Instead, the app aims to provide a “less angry” space for conversations and communities.
“The goal is not to replace Twitter,” said Instagram chief Adam Mosseri in an interview with The Verge. “The goal is to create a public square for communities on Instagram that never fully embraced Twitter and for communities on Twitter (and other platforms) that are interested in a less confrontational environment.”
However, Musk expressed his disagreement with this approach. “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter than to indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram,” Musk tweeted over the weekend. He further added, “You will get more laughs from this app than everything else combined. But I have to warn you… don’t be shocked… there’s some negative stuff too.”
The clash of perspectives between Musk and Zuckerberg adds further fuel to the competition between Threads and Twitter, as the battle for user engagement intensifies.
Source: New York Post
