Dulles, VA – August 23, 2023: As Threads launches a web version of its app, real-life mobile usage data released by mobile analytics and business intelligence firm GWS today reveals:

Daily active users

  • X’s (formally Twitter’s) average daily user numbers have remained steady in both the US and UK since early July, maintaining its presence through the rebrand and the rise of Threads. The company continues to average around 22 million active users each day in the US and 6 million active users each day in the UK
  • In contrast, daily active users of Threads have fallen significantly in both markets – down from around 3.4 million users per day at the beginning of July in the US to just 1.2 million as of mid-August. Likewise in the UK, Threads has seen its daily active user numbers crash by nearly 1 million. The company averaged around 1.4 million users each day in early July but as of mid-August that figure stands at just 430,000.

Daily sessions per user

  • In the UK, Threads has also seen its average daily sessions per user fall dramatically from around 4.7 each day in July to just 1.8 in mid-August.. X’s user base, however, checked into the platform around 5 times a day throughout this period with little variation.
  • In the US, there has been a slightly less significant drop in daily sessions per user, which went from roughly 4.6 at the beginning of July to 2.6 in mid-August, whilst X users maintained a 4.4 average over this period.

X and Threads overlapping users

  • According to GWS’ data from UK mobile users, the percentage of Threads users who are also active on X has held steady around the 30% mark since its launch in early July. On the other hand, only 2.5% of X users are also on Threads.
  • There is a slightly higher percentage increase in the US of Threads users who are also active on X, with the number peaking at 53.8% in early July before falling to an average of roughly 45% in mid-August. Those on X who are also active on Threads in the US has shrunk from 7.6% in early July to just 2.8% by mid-August.

 Commenting on the data, Dr Paul Carter, CEO, GWS, said:

“When a company goes through a major rebrand, the expectation is that it will solidify its market position and make steps to attract a new audience. Elon Musk’s major overhaul of Twitter’s branding, adopting the X name and logo, might have attracted controversy, especially at a time when the company faces the looming threat of a well-funded rival in Threads. However, real time mobile data from social media users across the UK and the US shows Twitter continues to hold steady despite external threats.

The same, however, cannot be said for its main new rival Threads and its parent company Meta. The so called “Twitter-killer” burst onto the scene in early July attracting those disillusioned with Twitter’s recent moves. However, despite initial success the company has seen its user numbers plummet in the UK by nearly 1 million since launch, and over 2 million in the US, a drop of nearly 70% across both locations. And in a world that is inherently mobile, especially when it comes to social media, it is questionable as to whether launching a website will change Threads’ fortunes.

While you might expect more X users to have migrated over to Threads following launch – in fact the opposite is true. Our data shows that 30% of Threads’ daily users are on Twitter, but just 2.5% of X users are also on Threads in the UK, while in the US we see that 45% of Threads users are also on X, while just 2.8% of X users are also on Threads. The mass exodus from one platform to the other just hasn’t occurred.”

Methodology

All data was collected from GWS’ opt-in, app-engagement panel of participants from both the UK and the US (both 18+). This is a panel of real-life consumers who use their phones and tablet devices as normal throughout the day, so that the mobile analytics data GWS gathers provides the most accurate picture on the nation’s mobile connectivity experience.

About GWS

For most consumers today, their mobile device is their life’s remote control. As an independent mobile insights consulting firm, GWS measures every aspect of how people live, work and play via their mobile devices – as well as how mobile network performance affects them.

Combining our market-leading network benchmarking technology and methodology with deep behavioural data, we help businesses and organizations to drive innovation and deliver better customer experiences through mobile insights, anywhere in the world. Championing the needs of mobile users by understanding and testing the things that matter to them, we’ve evolved our technology and services in step with the needs of industry and consumers for over 25 years.

For more information and mobile insights visit GWS.

 

Media Contact

Adam Hudson
Diffusion PR
[email protected]

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