Meta's text-based social media service Threads is gaining popularity in the country. In just one year, the monthly active users (MAU) surged by nearly 170%. This marks the highest growth rate among major social media platforms last year. The integration with Instagram, the top social media platform in the country, and its unique memes and informal mode have attracted a young audience.
According to the mobile analytics platform Mobile Index, as of the end of last month, Threads had recorded a monthly active user count of 4,802,565. This represents an increase of nearly 3 million users (168.2%) compared to the same period last year (1,790,397 users). Although it ranked 7th among major social media apps in MAU, its growth rate was significantly higher compared to ▲ Instagram (5.7%) ▲ Band (-7.8%) ▲ Facebook (-13.0%) ▲ Naver Cafe (-0.8%) ▲ X (9.4%) ▲ TikTok (3.7%).
The number of Threads users is steadily increasing overseas as well. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, noted that Threads reached 275 million MAU as of the third quarter of last year. Industry experts suggest that Threads could surpass X. According to the market information company Sensor Tower, X had 310 million MAU during the same period. Although there is a gap of 35 million users with Meta, this is a 24% reduction compared to the time Elon Musk acquired X in October 2022.
Meta launched Threads in July 2023 to leverage the 'Instagram effect.' The integration was enhanced by inserting an icon that allows users to switch to Threads with a single touch on Instagram. Consequently, many Instagram users flocked to Threads. Instagram currently has an MAU of 23 million, making it the top social media platform in the country. As Instagram users increase, Threads users are also growing.
However, Threads did not receive a positive response initially after its launch. Threads limited the number of characters in a post to 500 and focused on text, which drew attention as a social media service aiming at competing app X. However, the design closely resembled the user interface (UI) of X, leading to criticisms of a lack of distinctiveness. Additionally, the absence of a direct message (DM) feature, which social media users prefer, and the inability to edit posts or withdraw from the platform also emerged as issues.
According to app analytics firm Similarweb, Threads saw a dramatic drop in global users from 49 million to 23.6 million just one week after its launch, and by the second week, an additional 44.9% decrease left it with 13 million users. The response in Korea was similar. Although it gained popularity with 1.07 million app installations just a week after its launch, by November of the same year, MAU stagnated at around 1.3 to 1.4 million.
However, Threads showed steep growth last year, driven by the demand from younger users. According to Mobile Index, in June of last year, 39.5% of Threads users were in their 20s, the largest demographic group. This was followed by users in their 30s (22.9%) and users aged 19 and under (22.4%). As young users, particularly in their 20s, started to gather, Threads shifted into 'growth mode.'
The rise in popularity of Threads is analyzed as a successful targeting of a niche market in a social media ecosystem flooded with short-form content. In particular, the majority of Threads users communicating in informal language has proven popular. Threads users share their thoughts on how their day went or reflect on news articles and videos as if conversing with friends. This mode of exchanging immediate dialogue through shared memes successfully met the needs of younger users who felt fatigued by short-form content.
Lee Eun-hee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, said, "For photos and short-form content, there are limitations in conveying personal thoughts or values. Thus, it's highly likely that the young generation, feeling fatigued by this, began to prefer the text-centric Threads. Threads provides a lighter experience for sharing thoughts immediately and conveniently compared to other text-based social media platforms like Facebook and Naver Cafe, making it preferred by the younger generation."