Why you don’t need to be using Threads (yet)

Launched on July 5th, 2023, Threads is the latest platform to be launched by Mark Zuckerberg’s company, Meta. News outlets have been quick to point out the app’s rapid growth, with it exceeding 100 million users in its first week alone. Many agencies have touted Threads as the ‘new Twitter’, jumping on the opportunity to market this new tool to prospective clients, conveniently skimming over many of the practical issues that may discount this proposition… 

Launched as an integrated subsidiary of Instagram and marketed directly to its monthly active userbase (2.35 billion-strong), the explosive growth in users accessing Threads is to be expected; but with no option to delete an account once created, this should raise serious questions about the proportion of reported users who are actually active on Meta’s new platform. Despite the headline figures, for businesses looking to use social media for profile raising and brand building, user engagement is always more important. So, despite reports of Threads having 100 million users, it remains to be seen whether it can convincingly compete in terms of active users with Twitter, which has 200 million active users, daily. 

But the problems don’t end with user activity; considering Meta’s business model of data harvesting and commercial microtargeting, it is hardly surprising that the Threads app was found to be collecting highly sensitive information such as health and financial data, precise location, browsing history and search history. These data collection practices placed Meta in hot water with the European Union, who have banned Threads from launching in countries within the EU, pending legal confirmation of Threads’ compliance with EU data regulations. So, for businesses looking to engage with clients in the EU, Threads appears to be a digital cul-de-sac. 

Given Meta’s integrated approach to social media, providing a unified, ‘one account for all’ approach across its various platforms, it is unsurprising that their latest addition follows the precedent of predominantly ‘light’ content set by Instagram. Speaking on his own platform, de-facto leader of Threads, Adam Mosseri outlined Threads’ intent to be free from “politics and hard news” (Mosseri Threads), positioning themselves in direct contrast to Elon Musk’s increasingly partisan Twitter. The lack of clarity on what constitutes ‘hard news’ or ‘politics’ should be of concern for businesses in the Life Science sector, where many issues are often political or driven by news and policy decisions.  

This lack of definitive clarity on Meta’s position is symptomatic of Threads’ embryonic stage of development. While Instagram, Threads’ sister platform, has a clearly developed brand position and userbase, it is not obvious how this is going to translate to Threads building a user base or platform structure that is conducive to effective B2B communications. While more traditional platforms for B2B communications, like Twitter and LinkedIn, seem perennial and far less enticing, there is a lesson in their hardiness: they are tried, tested and proven. Threads, on the other hand, is still an unknown entity, currently without the option for businesses to financially endorse posts and lacking a clearly defined user demographic. 

While Threads is worth keeping on your radar, we don’t think it’s worth taking the plunge… (just yet)