Threads, Meta’s latest social media platform, launched July 6, 2023, as a text-based social network. One hundred million users joined in the first week, making it the most rapidly downloaded app ever. We’ve now hit the one-month mark. Is Threads still thriving? Are teachers using Threads? Are brands?
1. It’s true, Threads has lost 80% of its daily active users.
Just two days after launch, Threads daily active users hovered around 49 million. By Aug. 1 that number dropped to 9.6 million. This article by tech columnist Jason Aten shares that although daily use has dropped, Theads has something others don’t: It’s part of Meta.
“Meta has done the same thing for years. It directly copied Snapchat and made Instagram stories. It copied TikTok with Reels. Now, it has rolled out Threads as an alternative to Twitter. The dig against Meta has always been that it can’t come up with any good ideas on its own, so it just copies the competition. But there’s something to be said for the fact that Meta almost always gets it right.”
2. Search and hashtags are coming.
Threads has recently rolled out a chronological timeline and according to Zuck, search is coming soon. This is good news for marketers and brands who are looking for teacher content on Threads.
WeAreTeachers was an early adopter of Threads. Instantly we saw thousands of teacher Instagram accounts flood our Threads feed. It was entertaining. People had been waiting for a new text-based platform since Twitter’s (X’s) demise, and now they had it.
3. Yes, teachers are on Threads.
What exactly do teachers need to know about Threads? Many educators who are using the app call themselves “Threaducators.”
Of the 40,000 WeAreTeachers followers, many of them are trying to figure out the platform like everyone else. We’ve seen great discussion Threads as teachers head back to the classroom, plenty of humor, and probably most notably—teachers trying to find other teachers. EdTech coach and educator @ericcurts curated a list of more than 1,000 teacher Thread accounts alone.
Our 30-day conclusion:
- Threads is a great listening tool to get insight into the classroom. Follow teachers and administrators to get real-time feedback into what it’s like being back in the classroom.
- Threads is a new platform for your brand to experiment with voice and personality. Don’t post what you’re posting to other channels. Find something new to say, and have fun with it. What do you have to lose?
