Hajra Naz
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has started testing advertisements on Threads, its alternative to Elon Musk’s X, according to an announcement made on Friday.
Threads was launched in 2023, eight months after Musk acquired X. At the time, changes like paid subscriptions and reduced content moderation were pushing users and advertisers away from the platform. Given Meta’s reliance on advertising revenue across its free platforms, the introduction of ads on Threads was widely anticipated.
“We’re starting a small test for ads on Threads with a handful of brands in the US and Japan,” announced Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and Threads. He added that the team would carefully review feedback to ensure the ads feel relevant and engaging, similar to other Threads content.
This move comes as Meta faces increased scrutiny following CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to end the company’s US fact-checking program and ease content moderation policies, allowing more controversial speech—similar to the approach taken by X. Critics argue this shift was intended to win favor with former President Donald Trump and his conservative supporters, who have long claimed that fact-checking suppresses free speech and censors right-wing views.
Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at Emarketer said:
“The launch of Threads ads so soon after Meta’s changes to content moderation will likely raise concerns among advertisers,”.
She also predicted negative reactions from users who are already skeptical of Meta’s practices. However, she noted that TikTok’s dubious future in the US could drive brands to explore alternatives, allowing Meta to position Threads as a reasonable option.
TikTok, the prevalent China-based video-sharing app, has confronted scrutiny in the US due to concerns over potential Chinese government surveillance and impact. Even though a law banning TikTok went into impact on January 19, its usage has been delayed by two and a half months whereas the government is looking for a determination.
Meta claims Threads has 300 million monthly users, but critics have questioned this figure. Many argue that Instagram users are frequently redirected to Threads without explicitly choosing to use the platform, which may artificially inflate the reported user base.
