Threads, Meta’s equivalent of X (formerly Twitter), when launched on July 5, 2023, surpassed one million sign-ups in just an hour, ten million in first seven hours of its launch and hundred million in just five days, has been de-linked from Instagram, now can be deleted separately.
With such numbers, it was anticipated that the new platform would be able to replace the X, which had become an expensive and censored platform for many, after Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, took over the platform in November 2022.
However, after three months of its launch, it has over 140 million users as compared to over 500 million on Twitter. With many not able to find Threads as lucrative and attractive as X, most of the traffic was from Instagram which has over two billion users. Threads was launched as a prodigy of Instagram, anticipating that the users from the platform with one of the largest number of members will prove it successful. However, it did not.
What happened if one deletes Threads?
Many of the Threads users who did not find the platform as lucrative, hours after participating in the new experiment. Meta tried to even launch and provide features on the Threads which are otherwise are monetised on the rival platform, the X, or some new features like editing the post, using voice thread, repost tab on profiles and so on. However, after achieving its hundred million marks, it could not add much users to its account, as per the statistics provided earlier.
Users still find ways to abandon the platform without deleting their Instagram accounts. According to Business Insider India, it was required that users have an Instagram account to sign up for Threads. Threads allowed users to import bio information and followers from their existing Instagram profiles once they download and open the app.
A disclaimer in app’s help centre stated that users could delete individual posts or temporarily deactivate their account, i.e., their posts will not be visible to other users until they choose to reactivate the account. To permanently delete account’s profile and data, the users would need to delete their Instagram account. A supplemental privacy policy for the app also stated that “Your Threads profile is part of your Instagram account and may be deleted at any time by deleting your Instagram account.”
Changes that Meta rolls out now
According to Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, who posted on Threads about two weeks ago, on deleting Threads profile separately from Instagram account. To delete Threads profile, one needs to visit Settings, Account, Delete or Deactivate Profile, then select delete.
This was launched with another update for people to see Threads posts directly on Facebook and Instagram, to help expand their audience and grow their reach. According to Mosseri’s post, “We heard feedback that you want more control over the experience, so we’re rolling out a way to opt out of being featured outside Threads in Settings → Privacy.”
Many changes are being brought by Mosseri on Threads to lure new users as well as make the platform friendly and “Twitter-like” for users who joined it in July 2023 with a new hope to get away Musk’s tyranny of subscriptions. However, the possibility of Threads replacing X seems grim.