Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has begun testing advertisements on Threads, its emerging social media platform designed as an alternative to Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). The announcement, made on Friday by Instagram and Threads chief Adam Mosseri, marks a significant step in the platform’s evolution as it seeks to establish itself in the competitive social media landscape.
Threads was launched in the summer of 2023, following Musk’s controversial acquisition of Twitter. At the time, user dissatisfaction with X, driven by the introduction of paid subscriptions and reduced content moderation, created an opening for competitors like Threads to gain traction.
“We’re starting a small test for ads on Threads with a handful of brands in the US and Japan,” Mosseri revealed, adding that the team would carefully monitor user feedback to ensure the ads feel “relevant and interesting.”
The move aligns with Meta’s broader strategy, as the company generates the bulk of its revenue through advertising across its free platforms. However, the introduction of ads coincides with heightened scrutiny of Meta’s policies, following CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to end the company’s US fact-checking program and relax content moderation rules. These changes have drawn comparisons to X’s approach and have been criticised as a bid to court conservative users, particularly supporters of President Donald Trump.
TikTok, a major competitor, has been under scrutiny over concerns that its Chinese ownership could pose national security risks. A US law banning TikTok took effect on January 19, but its implementation has been delayed for over two months by President Trump, who is pursuing negotiations with Beijing.
Meta claims Threads has reached 300 million monthly users, although critics argue the figures may be inflated. Some suggest Instagram users are automatically redirected to Threads, potentially overstating its user base.
