Meta's tactic to increase the user base of Threads raises doubts

Meta has decided to encourage the use of Threads, its microblogging platform, through Instagram, leveraging the vast user base of the latter.

As the popularity of Threads has begun to wane following its initial launch, the company is looking to rekindle interest by encouraging users to share Threads content in their Instagram stories.

Threads users have started receiving suggestions to “Add this to your Instagram story,” designed to attract new users and encourage interaction between both platforms.

Instagram stories aim to boost interaction on Threads despite the conflict

This message, which appears during the creation of posts, seems to have the explicit intention of increasing the visibility of the posts, suggesting that by sharing on Instagram, one can get “more eyes on your posts.” However, this approach has raised doubts about its effectiveness, given the difference in purpose and style between the two social networks.

Surprisingly, a large part of the content shared on Threads may not be suitable for Instagram, which raises an internal conflict between the two platforms.

They are networks that, although they belong to the same conglomerate, have distinct characteristics and attract different audiences and types of content. While Instagram focuses more on curated images and videos, Threads tends to host more informal dialogues and quick opinions.

Although Meta has not made any official statement regarding this strategy, it is evident that the true goal behind these prompts is to increase the user base of Threads, rather than simply improving the visibility of existing posts.

The company seems to be in a race to revitalize interest in a social network that, after its meteoric launch, has taken a back seat in the current media ecosystem. This tactic could be seen as an attempt to consolidate its presence in a market where competition is fierce and constantly evolving.