Meta’s Threads Still Lags Behind Musk’s X, but Platform Is Growing Again

livemint.com:

Isaiah Samad was looking for an alternative to Twitter earlier this year, growing tired of everything from “hot takes" and “rage bait" that he felt had grown too common on the site. After signing up for Meta Platforms’ Threads when it launched in July, he noted a more welcoming, positive atmosphere on the app and eventually deactivated his account on X, previously known as Twitter. Samad is one of about 10 million daily active users globally, including many who have flocked to Threads as an alternative to Elon Musk’s X, in search of what they describe as civil discourse.

Many power users of the emerging service cited that as one of the platform’s central virtues, even as they continue to want new features such as trending topics and hashtags. Such demands for more immediacy on Threads are at the heart of the challenge Meta faces as its new microblogging product begins to grow again after a slowdown following its launch, when more than 100 million users signed up in less than a week. While Musk has called himself a free-speech absolutist and eschewed content moderation, Threads has taken steps to manage some discussions carefully, such as preventing searches for Covid-19.

As X has frustrated some users with rapidly changing policies, features and rollbacks, Threads has seen new engagement from frequent users hungry for a newsy alternative, especially during important news moments such as the current one with the Israel-Hamas war. Usage on Threads increased 13% during the week of Oct. 9 compared with the previous three-week average, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.

X saw an approximate 3% increase that week compared with the prior three-week average. Threads’ arrival has reshaped the microblogging market. X’s