Threads’ Organic Reach Will Plummet
Then what?
Threads reached 100 million users in five days, faster than any other social media platform in history. It probably didn’t hurt that it had the full weight of Facebook/Meta, the largest social media network of all time, behind it. Instagram pushed its userbase to Threads with notifications and profile links that removed virtually all sign-up friction. Breakneck adoption was practically inevitable. But that overnight galactic reach will prove to be the platform’s biggest drawback — from a user perspective, at least.
We’ve seen this over and over. A social media network launches. The userbase enjoys the platform’s features and community. Engagement is high. User growth is fast. Then, the advertisers crash the party.
“If the userbase grew faster than any other social network in history, it stands to reason that the speed of its commercialization will be commensurate.”
Years ago, I ran a satire news website, not unlike The Onion, though a fraction of the audience. Still, over the course of 18 months or so, as a one-man band, I managed to build the audience to about 30,000 unique visitors a month. A big chunk of that growth was driven by my Facebook fan page, which I managed to grow to about…
