Meta has unveiled a web edition of Threads in its endeavor to rejuvenate the social media platform.
The contender to X, formerly recognized as Twitter, achieved rapid growth upon its debut in July.
Yet, users swiftly deserted it, partly due to its limited functionality.
Meta asserts that the web edition is a part of its push to introduce fresh features, though experts caution that more action is needed to regain customer interest.
In a post on the platform, accompanied by an image of him crafting Threads for the web, Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, stated it would be gradually launched over the upcoming days.
Users will have the capacity to create a thread, peruse their feed, and engage with other users' threads.
Nonetheless, certain elements of the mobile application won't be immediately accessible on the web.
For instance, users won't be able to modify their profile or transmit a thread to the direct messaging feature on its companion platform, Instagram.
Meta asserts that additional functionality will be integrated in the approaching weeks, striving to harmonize the web and mobile experiences.
In the week following its release, Threads attracted over 100 million users, but by the conclusion of July, this figure had declined by more than fifty percent.
The tech behemoth, which also possesses Facebook and WhatsApp, is hopeful that this announcement will reverse this downward trajectory.
"Meta opted to introduce Threads in a very rudimentary form," remarked Rebecca McGrath, Associate Director for Media and Technology at Mintel.
"This has disheartened users who explored the platform post its extensively hyped launch, anticipating it to be a fully functional alternative to Twitter," she appended.
"Supplying a web version is an essential stride. Nevertheless, there's still progress to be made."
The platform still lacks a search function—a point of contention among users and experts who argue it's necessary to effectively compete with Elon Musk's X.
"Meta will need to make significant efforts to roll out an extensively enhanced search functionality, allowing users to locate topic-centered communities, truly luring back those seeking a replacement for Twitter," explained Tama Leaver, a professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University in Australia, in conversation with the BBC.
"Meta's reluctance to adopt hashtags, particularly as they are already present on Instagram, appears peculiar since that's the defining feature associated with X and the element most likely to entice users back to give Threads a second chance."
Prof Leaver also suggested that Threads' aspiration to overthrow X could be expedited by the persistent controversies that have plagued the platform previously known as Twitter.
On Monday, it was reprimanded for its sluggish removal of a Holocaust-denying post. Mr. Musk's proposal to eliminate the blocking feature has also garnered criticism, with some asserting it will amplify the challenge of curtailing abusive messages.
Rebecca McGrath from Mintel concurred, stating that the "continuous contentious actions" at X would "sustain the appetite" for an alternative.
"This implies that users will be inclined to engage with Threads once more when it evolves into a more sophisticated version," she concluded.
"However, time remains of the essence for Threads."
