Ep168 - Meta Launches Threads: Twitter Copycat - App Reaches 80 Million Users in 48 Hours

#TWIMshow - This Week in Marketing

Episode 168 contains the notable Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of July 3 - 7, 2023. And the show notes for this episode was generated using generative AI. And like always, I curated the articles for the show.

1. Meta Launches Threads: Twitter Copycat - App Reaches 80 Million Users in 48 Hours - Threads, an Instagram app for text-based messaging, has seen a meteoric rise in number of signups within the first 48 hours. The app, which was launched on July 7, 2023, has already reached 80 million users. This is a significant achievement, especially considering that Threads is only available in a limited number of countries.

Threads is designed to be a more intimate and personal messaging experience than Instagram's main app. It allows users to send text messages, photos, and videos to their close friends, and it also includes features like read receipts and typing indicators.

The app's success is likely due to a number of factors, including its timing (it was launched just as people are starting to get back to socializing in person), its focus on close friendships, and its integration with Instagram.

Before you rush to create your Threads profile, keep in mind that in a Supplemental Privacy Policy, Meta explains: “You may deactivate your Threads profile at any time, but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account.” The rationale, Meta elaborates on the policy page, is that a Threads profile is part of the user’s Instagram account. The discovery of this stipulation has surprised many users.

So Threads reminds of the song “Hotel California” by the Eagles. “Welcome to the Hotel California, you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.”