Threads: Flop or Bop

There’s a new kid on the block. And in record time, the new kid has already had the rise and fall previously reserved for Vine stars.

You may remember that back in early July, everyone’s phones were blowing up with one new tech space–Threads. It filled our Instagram stories, marked its arrival under Instagram bios, and stirred up massive intrigue across the digital landscape. As we were all introduced to Threads, critics and avid internet users were already labeling it as a potential rival to Twitter. Because, let’s be real, it had the same philosophy and format! And suddenly, before our eyes, Threads became the fastest app ever to reach 100 million users within a few days of launching. This was unprecedented, and everyone was marking their Twitter accounts–and Elon Musk’s bank account after he spent a whopping $44 billion to acquire it–as a relic of the past. 

But how and why did Threads flop so fast? And what can it teach us about marketing in a new digital landscape? 

To answer these questions, let’s take a long, hard look at the quick rise and decline of Threads. A quick Google Trends search shows us that within the last 90 days, Threads had a glorious rise before a steep fall to oblivion. 

This data spans the globe and shows us that while we’re more tuned into the internet pulse than ever before, our attention spans are also decreasing rapidly with the overwhelming amount of information, and platforms, already out there. This realization that new platforms don’t necessarily mean an engaged audience brings us to our first lesson about what the fall of Threads can teach us: short attention spans.

1. Our Attention Spans Are Fried

While there are other factors to consider when we look at the decline of Threads (and we’ll get to them in a second!), you can’t ignore the cold hard truth: our attention spans are much shorter than they have ever been. There is simply too much content for humans to meaningfully digest, and adding another content platform is like piling on more food onto an overflowing plate – it won’t work. 

If none of us can focus on a video longer than a couple of seconds (thanks TikTok), how can we focus on an entirely new app? If we can already see the effects of a decreased attention span in a macro event like the fall of Threads, we must also keep in mind that the same philosophy applies in all other areas of the digital landscape. How is your ad more catchy than someone’s Reel? How does your social media campaign fare against influencers with perfectly curated content? In this saturated digital landscape, you’re fighting for your audience’s attention. Make your content worthwhile. 

2. It’s Time To Leave Well Enough Alone 

While everyone gets hyped whenever an app releases a new feature (or a new app altogether!), we can learn another lesson from Threads: our current platforms are rock solid for the foreseeable future.

Just take a look at some of Instagram’s ventures apart from Threads: Notes launched in late 2022 to a pretty uninspiring start, and it continues to be a dud today. On the other hand, when Instagram released stories years ago, it became an instant classic that we now associate with the app. Our current digital moment allows for certain established platforms to continuously bloom and evolve with new features without leaving much space for anything new to get ahead. Perhaps a new app will succeed if it’s a completely new idea, and not an iteration of a current platform (like Threads with Twitter/X).

3. Booming Starts Don’t Mean Guaranteed Success

If there was ever a time to forget any age-old wisdom you’ve learnt about beginnings and ends, it's now. There is literally no rule book for digital success anymore, and one example of this comes in the form of BeReal, an app that breaks digital trend patterns.

Dominated by a Gen Z audience, BeReal launched in 2020 without any mass usage. Basically, it showed up in the App Store–and no one cared. But suddenly, in early to mid-2022, it blew up. This could be because the pandemic was over and everyone wanted to show off their lives again, or it could be the gradual shift to more “casual” social media content. Everyone was using it and capturing “real” moments in their lives.

But after BeReal rose to fame, it has since seen a steady decline. So, while it doesn’t follow the exact same trajectory as Threads, it still reminds us that just because a new platform rose to sudden popularity, it doesn’t mean it will stay there. Much work around audience engagement, feedback, and app features has to be done to keep users’ attention.

4. Everyone (Still) Loves Controversy

Is there anything more exciting than some juicy gossip? The internet doesn’t seem to think so, and part of the reason why everyone was talking about–and joining–Threads is because of its parallels to Twitter. With many calling it a knockoff and jokes flying around about Zuckerberg and Musk in a wrestling match (which the former fueled!), the internet had entertainment content for weeks. Ultimately, many users  joined Threads because it was too impossible to escape the talk of it. 

But everyone’s attention couldn’t linger because if what fueled the rise of Threads was an internet joke, then it was bound to fade away into obscurity after a few trend cycles replaced it. Ultimately, while you can bank on some juicy gossip to get customers interested, you’re also going to have to find concrete ways to make them stay. 

The rise and fall of Threads teaches us many important digital marketing lessons. Among them: attention spans are limited, core platforms are here to stay, and a sustained marketing strategy is necessary to keep your audience fulfilled, engaged, and interested. If you’re dealing with what feels like an overnight success with your brand, remember to hone in on a strategy to fuel the fire and not simply let it flicker out like so many others have. 

Always in your corner,

The Content Queens