The competitor of X, formerly recognized as Twitter, experienced rapid growth after its launch in July. However, it also saw a swift decline in users shortly thereafter, partially due to its limited functionalities.
Meta, the parent company, has stated that the introduction of the web version aims to introduce new features. Nevertheless, experts caution that more substantial efforts are required to regain customer interest.
In a post on the platform – accompanied by what he said was a picture of him building Threads for the web – Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said it would be “rolling out over the next few days.”
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Users will have the ability to create and engage with threads, view their feeds, and interact with other users’ threads. However, certain features available on the mobile app will not be initially accessible on the web version. This includes editing profiles and sending threads directly to the messaging feature of its affiliate platform, Instagram.
“Meta made the choice to launch Threads in a very basic form,” said Rebecca McGrath, associate director for media and technology at Mintel.
“This has frustrated users who checked out the platform following its much-hyped launch, and were expecting it to be a ready-to-go alternative to Twitter,” she added.
“Offering a web version is a very important step. However, it still has a way to go.”
The platform still does not have a search function – something users have complained about and experts say it needs if it is to really take on Elon Musk’s X.
“Meta are going to have to work to roll out a vastly improved search functionality to let users find topic-based communities to really draw back the crowd who are looking to replace Twitter,” Tama Leaver, professor of internet studies at Curtin University in Australia, told the BBC.
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“On that front, Meta’s reluctance to implement hashtags, especially as they’re already on Instagram, seems an odd choice when really that’s the single feature that’s most synonymous with X and the function that would most likely convince users to come back and give Threads a second look.”
Meta plans to incorporate additional features in the coming weeks to align the web and mobile experiences of the app.
Threads achieved a user base of over 100 million within a week of its launch, but that number had dropped by more than half by the end of July.
Meta, which also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, aims to reverse this trend with this recent announcement.
Rebecca McGrath, Associate Director for Media and Technology at Mintel, noted that Meta initially launched Threads in a basic form. The platform still lacks a search function, a deficiency that users have complained about and experts believe is necessary to effectively compete with Elon Musk’s X.
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Professor Leaver also suggested that Threads’ efforts to challenge X might be aided by the ongoing controversies surrounding the platform that was once known as Twitter. Recently, it faced criticism for delays in removing a Holocaust-denying post. Elon Musk’s intention to remove the block feature has also drawn backlash, as some argue it will make it harder to prevent abusive messages.
Rebecca McGrath from Mintel agrees, saying the “continued controversial moves” at X would “keep up the desire” for an alternative.
“This means people will be ready to engage with Threads once again when it has a more advanced version,” she told the BBC.
“Time, though, is still of the essence for Threads.”
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