Which platform, X or Threads, had the better performance during the presidential debate? That’s the question on many people’s minds as they reflect on the disastrous debate that unfolded on both platforms. Meta, the company behind Threads, has made it clear that it wants to distance itself from politics, only recommending political content to users who enable a new setting. On the other hand, X has historically been a platform for real-time events, allowing users to chat, react, and tap into collective opinions. However, under Elon Musk’s ownership, X has taken a more right-leaning stance, which has alienated some of its former users.
In terms of user numbers, X still has the advantage. Musk claims that the platform now reaches 600 million monthly active users, with around half using it daily. Threads, on the other hand, has at least 150 million monthly active users, according to Meta’s last public earnings announcement. However, recent third-party stats suggest that Threads has far surpassed that figure.
The larger user base of X may have made it feel more active during the debate, simply because there were more people posting. Other text-focused social networks like Bluesky and Mastodon don’t have enough users to rival X or Threads on nights like this.
Nevertheless, not everyone believes that volume was the only deciding factor. Many Threads users praised the platform for its engaging and intelligent discussions during the debate. Some even claimed that Threads had fewer trolls compared to X and declared it the winner of the night.
However, there were concerns about Threads’ ability to keep up with real-time news. It didn’t immediately include a topic focused on the presidential debate as a whole but surfaced related topics like the economy and the age difference between Trump and Biden. These topics appeared closer to the end of the debate, limiting Threads’ use as a real-time news network.
This isn’t the first time Threads has faced this problem. During an earthquake in the NYC/New Jersey area, the event didn’t start trending on Threads until later in the day. Meta explained that trends on Threads are based on national conversations, and it may have taken time for enough people to join the conversation. However, this explanation doesn’t hold up for the difficulties Threads faced during the presidential debate, which was undoubtedly a national conversation.
On the other hand, X had its own hashtag for the debate (#Debates2024), making it easier for users to discover relevant posts. X also has tags focused on side topics and people. In contrast, Threads doesn’t use hashtags. Instead, it adds hyperlinks to words after the hashtag symbol is used. This can make it harder to discover topics on Threads, as there isn’t usually one primary tag that gains enough steam to start trending. The lack of discoverability can lead to decreased usage.
Additionally, X’s support for long-form posts sets it apart from Threads, which has a 500-character limit. This allows users on X to share more developed thoughts and opinions about what they saw on TV, like tech investor Mark Cuban did with his take on the debate.
Overall, while Threads had a good showing during the debate, its inability to keep up with trends and topics in real time continues to hinder its ability to compete with X as a news platform. Combined with Meta’s desire to distance itself from politics, Threads may never fully replace X. It remains a decent alternative, but not yet a replacement.