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- Threads is struggling to retain users, and X is losing popularity among some Gen Zers.
- Two Gen Zers say social media is about building an online community with those who share your views.
- One tech analyst predicted the lack of interest in Threads last month.
A social-networking site can only thrive if users continue to share and consume content, and some Gen Zers say there are particular features that make or break an app.
Meta launched Threads in July as a potential rival to Elon Musk's X (formerly known as Twitter). X has experienced doubts from users and analysts alike who questioned the direction Musk seems to be taking the app.
And despite millions flocking to sign up for new the text-based platform, Threads lost more than half its users within a month of the app launching.
damn threads really tanked, bad cus whos even using that app fr 💀
— Oscar 🧬 (@Lordejawsheen) August 3, 2023
Gen Z uses YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok the most, according to a Morning Consult survey from before Threads was launched. Twitter — now called X — came in sixth place on the list after Facebook and Snapchat.
When Threads first launched, some Gen Zers shared their excitement for Threads' potential to be the "go-to social media platform for venting and sharing among Gen Z."
Insider contacted more Gen Zers to learn their opinions on Threads and find out what attracts them to the apps they use daily.
Twenty-two-year-old Sydney Rose told Insider she's been active on social media since she made her Instagram account in the sixth grade. She starts her mornings by scrolling through Instagram and X, but she said she never made a Threads account.
Rose said the text-based X app is for her inner thoughts, while image-based Instagram is for catching up with old friends. The two shouldn't be combined, she contended.
"I'm not a fan of connecting my X persona with my Instagram persona," Rose told Insider. "X is more my actual personality rather than just what I look like."
A great social networking app needs to have a direct-messaging feature, Rose told Insider. For her, it's about being able to share funny and interesting posts with your friends all in one place — a feature both of her favorite apps offer. As of now, Threads doesn't have direct messages.
Edward Gonzales, 25, has been a social media user since the days of MySpace, and he checks Instagram — specifically Stories — daily. However, he recently deleted his X account after over a decade on the app, and he also never made a Threads profile.
"I think X is one of the most toxic apps out there," Gonzales told Insider. "I learned that Threads is kind of like it, so I haven't joined it yet."
Back when he was an avid X user, Gonzales said his favorite part of the app was his ability to see content from "like-minded" users.
"I was able to follow people I wanted to follow, and not follow people I didn't want to," he said. "It was like-minded humor and social awareness, and I think that's what makes a great platform."
Cianna Brown, 22, gave Threads a try early on, but told Insider that she's slowed down her usage lately.
"I joined Threads the day it came out. I like that your posts reach a larger audience regardless of how many followers you have," Brown said.
However, Brown said, internet trolls "overpowered" the people and topics she liked and made it harder to interact with the posts she wanted to. She hasn't given up on Threads, though. She said she's made "quite a few connections while using it."
Meanwhile, Wedbush tech analyst Dan Ives predicted a lack of interest in Meta's Threads in July. He told Insider that its censorship and "G-rated content" would make competing with X difficult.
"I don't view this as a Twitter killer," Ives told Insider. "I see this more as a short-lived fad with those moving to Threads."
Still, Instagram owner Meta has said it's adding new features to Threads all the time after a quick release of the app to compete with Musk's X.
"We're clearly way out over our skis on this, but the team is pumped to start shipping improvements this week," Instagram head Adam Mosseri said last month about Threads.