One year after what was arguably one of the most talked about technology launches in recent tech history, Meta's Threads, widely seen as an alternative to Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), continues to grow and add features as users still try to figure out exactly what to post on the platform.
“It hasn't carved out a niche, in terms of giving itself a unique brand identity, a purpose in the social media ecosystem,” said Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and analyst.
Mr Navarra, however, said that by any objective standard, with about 150 to 170 million active users and growing, Threads has probably exceeded the expectations of those inside Meta when the platform launched.
“It's growing fast,” he said. “It has all the core features you'd expect from a platform that's trying to be similar to X … it has likes, it has reposts, it has GIFs, image and video attachments and topic tags.”
Threads launched on July 5, 2023, amid a mounting backlash from Mr Musk's acquisition of Twitter. The entrepreneur and space tycoon made significant changes, including largely eliminating the platform's content moderation teams, rolling back verified accounts for prominent users and journalists, ending free API access, and reinstating various accounts previously banned for violating hate-speech policies and other rules.
Meta, still reeling from various user-data and disinformation controversies, managed to fill the vacuum created by Mr Musk's moves at Twitter. Just hours after Threads was available on iPhone and Android devices, 5 million users created accounts on the platform.
In less than one week, Threads broke records and announced that more than 100 million users had given the platform a try.
Mr Navarra points out that some of that success, can be traced back to Meta's decision to easily give Instagram users access to Threads (Instagram is owned by Meta), making for a seamless and expedited account creation process.
“That gave it a rocket-fuelled launch which took them to more than 150 million active users within the first nine months,” he said.
That decision, however, delayed the launch of Threads in the EU, and prompted tweaks by Meta to decouple the app somewhat from Instagram to comply with EU rules.
Similarly, Meta recently withdrew Threads in Turkey, after regulators in the country accused the app of violating data sharing policies due to the app's tie-in with Instagram.
Regardless, with Threads now available in most countries, Mr Navarra said that the platform has managed to provide the nearest global alternative to X, even if it has not matched X's approximately 550 million active users.
“We're not seeing X grow any more, it's plateaued and in some markets it's shrinking,” he said, noting that advertisers have begun to wince at the idea of advertising on the platform amid reports of increased hate speech and vitriolic content.
“Threads, however, is still growing,” he added.
Despite that growth, however, Mr Navarra points out that Threads still doesn't have an ad platform layer that allows for brands to advertise and in turn, give Meta another revenue stream, at least not yet.
“We're seeing rumours that they're talking with agencies and layering on an ad platform later this year,” he said.
While surviving one year in the app or platform marketplace might seem like a forgone conclusion, recent efforts by other much-hyped projects has shown that building and sustaining user interest is easier said than done. Success is far from guaranteed.
Back in 2020, despite ample funding and the backing of film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and former HP chief executive Meg Whitman, the short-video based streaming app Quibi survived less than one year.
There was also Post, which like Threads, touted itself an alternative to X and debuted to much hype, only to fail to grow beyond 500,000 users. Post recently shut down in April, with its founder acknowledging that the platform was not scaling fast enough to rationalise additional investments.
The most recent flex from Threads was the addition of Fediverse functionality. In short, integrating the Fediverse option into Threads made it possible for users have their posts also appear on decentralised social media platforms like Mastodon.
Threads also recently announced the availability of the platform's API, which allowed for scheduling and creating posts by way of third-party applications – a major boost for people and organisations wishing to publish their posts and schedule the output of their content.
Yet when it comes to news content on Threads, one of the areas that helped build X into a social media powerhouse, Meta has taken more of a cautious approach over the last year.
“Meta has made a strategic decision not to lean heavily into political content or news content, which has often been seen as the beating heart of X,” said Mr Navarra. “It does hamper [Threads] ability to to give people a viable alternative to X.”
Mr Navarra is referring to comments made back in 2023 by Meta's Instagram and Threads lead, Adam Mosseri, in exchange with The Verge's deputy editor Alex Heath, where he acknowledged a lack of emphasis on news.
“Politics and hard news are inevitably going to show up on Threads – they have on Instagram as well to some extent – but we're not going to do anything to encourage those verticals,” he posted on Threads.
“Politics and hard news are important, I don't want to imply otherwise. But my take is, from a platform's perspective, any incremental engagement or revenue they might drive is not at all worth the scrutiny, negativity (let's be honest), or integrity risks that come along with them,” he added.
That decision, according to Mr Navarra, combined with a very saturated social media platform marketplace, have made it difficult for many to decide exactly how to use Threads and what to use it for.
“This is a challenge they need to overcome,” he said. “It hasn't really done anything drastically different from any other platform.”
Another element which may factor into the potential future, long-term success of Threads, is the creator and influencer community, which has come to define the social media experience for so many.
Meta has slowly increased the amount of analytics users on Threads can see to best determine how posts are performing, a critical aspect for many of those who seek to financially capitalise on their posts.
Throughout the platform's first year of existence, multiple media outlets and social content creators have reported that Threads has paid various creators hundreds of dollars for posts that have performed well.
I think Meta is probably really happy with how Threads has been growing
Matt Navarra,
social media consultant
“There have been limited creative bonuses and campaigns to drum up usage and interest,” said Mr Navarra, reflecting on his own reporting and sources. “But I'm still not seeing a huge amount of interest or time spent by big-name creators on the platform in the same way that you see them doing a lot of business on YouTube,” he added.
Threads is also finding itself competing for the attention of users already consumed by TikTok, Instagram, and even to some extent, career-based social networking platforms like LinkedIn.
In a recent interview with The National, entrepreneur and social media content guru Gary Vaynerchuk didn't mention Threads when he talked about his most recent book, which explains to readers various strategies for seven social media platforms they should care about.
“Every four to seven years, something has a real shot,” he said, when asked about the potential saturation of the social media platform sector, and the likelihood of a new venture's success.
“If you hit it, it's as lucrative as it gets,” he added, noting the potential upside of starting a new social network.
Regardless, one year later, Meta shows no sign of slowing down new features for Threads, and it keeps adding users.
To commemorate the platform's birthday, Meta rolled out a several new icons users can temporarily use in the Threads app.
"We're celebrating by giving you new app icons designed by people in the Threads community," reads the special birthday section of Threads.
Also coinciding with the anniversary of the social platform, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced that Threads crossed the 175 million active monthly user mark.
"What a year," he posted to Threads.
While the platform is still finding its footing in the overall social media landscape, Mr Navarra said the last year of improvements have shown a resiliency and dedication to the platform from Meta.
“I think Meta is probably really happy with how Threads has been growing,” he said, while also reflecting on the sometimes fickle nature users and social platform popularity.
“It's still evolving so it's hard to know where it will land,” he said.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Ovo's tips to find extra heat
- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
- Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat
- Put on extra layers
- Do a few star jumps
- Avoid alcohol
OPTA'S PREDICTED TABLE
1. Liverpool 101 points
2. Manchester City 80
3. Leicester 67
4. Chelsea 63
5. Manchester United 61
6. Tottenham 58
7. Wolves 56
8. Arsenal 56
9. Sheffield United 55
10. Everton 50
11. Burnley 49
12. Crystal Palace 49
13. Newcastle 46
14. Southampton 44
15. West Ham 39
16. Brighton 37
17. Watford 36
18. Bournemouth 36
19. Aston Villa 32
20. Norwich City 29
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
More from our neighbourhood series:
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Michael%20Knights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2026%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5