Nothing but FB. Why Bangladeshis never took to Twitter, Threads and the like

Highlights:

• There are 66.94 million active internet users in Bangladesh 
• As of June 2023, Bangladesh has 59.2 million Facebook users
• Instagram has 6.5 million Bangladeshi accounts
• LinkedIn has a user base of 7 million in Bangladesh
• As of early 2023, Bangladesh had 1.05 million Twitter users

On 1 July, Twitter put a strict cap on the number of tweets users can read, stirring up more dissatisfaction among an already annoyed user base. Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, initially announced the revised usage quotas, stating that verified account holders could read up to 6,000 posts daily, while unverified users had a limit of 600 posts. 

Newly registered, unverified users faced even stricter restrictions with only 300 posts allowed per day. However, Musk later increased the limits to 10,000, 1,000, and 500, respectively.

Twitter under Musk is undoubtedly a less pleasant experience than it once was, particularly because of the way the platform prioritises "verified" users, which include anyone who pays the $8-per-month subscription fee. It is natural that people want a more stable – in Zuckerberg's words, "sanely run" – platform. 

Five days later, meta launched its Twitter competitor Threads, which gained 100 million users by 10 July. Threads is now the fastest-growing app, with a user base growth of 10 million per day. For context, OpenAI hit this milestone in 40 days with the release of ChatGPT, while Instagram took 2.5 months to reach a million downloads. 

But that fast growth is not applicable to Bangladesh. And neither Twitter, Instagram or Threads have gained significant traction in the country. 

According to Datareportal, there were 66.94 million internet users in Bangladesh at the start of 2023, when internet penetration stood at 38.9%. However, very few of them have been a fan of anything other than Facebook, as data indicates.

As of June 2023, data by social media management and analytics platform NapoleonCat showed that among the top five social media platforms in Bangladesh, Facebook was the dominant platform with 59.2 million users. Instagram holds a much smaller presence in the country, accounting for only 6.5 million accounts. And LinkedIn, although a professional networking platform, has a user base of 7 million in Bangladesh. 

Although latest data is not available for Twitter, numbers published in the social media platform's advertising resources indicate that it had 1.05 million users in Bangladesh in early 2023, making it the the least utilised social media platform in the country. 

Interestingly, while Threads is gaining traction worldwide and reaching record-breaking milestones with 100 million users in less then a week, it has yet to establish a significant fan base in Bangladesh.

Getting on Threads is not a tall order. One can sign in to Threads using their Instagram username. Profiles can be modified for Threads while keeping the Instagram username and verification. If you follow someone on Instagram, you will automatically follow them when they join Threads. 

In appearance, Threads is supposed to be a Twitter alternative but it is technically a text-based instagram offshoot, and is directly connected to Instagram. In Bangladesh, Twitter users and Instagram users are somewhat different, with different types of content taste. Threads is a text-based conversation app, as opposed to Instagram, which is a photo-sharing platform.  

We looked into the top 10 most followed Bangladeshi Twitter and Instagram accounts and tracked who had moved to Meta's new app and how many of their followers they were able to carry with them to the new platform.

Mehzabien Chowdhury, an actress, tops the Instagram chart with 5.1 million followers and she is currently the top Bangladeshi influencer on Threads too with 55,700 followers — only 1.09% of her Instagram followers. Of the other nine Instagram profiles, five have not yet opened a Threads account and four were able to carry less than 1% of their followers. 

The scenario is similar for Twitter. 

Bangladesh Cricket is the most followed Twitter account in Bangladesh with 3.5 million followers. And it, along with four other cricketers who are in the top-ten list, has not signed up on Threads yet. Only Prothom Alo, Daily Star and SomoyTV from the top ten list have Threads accounts, but they comparatively post less there which is totally understandable since their audience did not move to the new platforms.

So why the aversion to any app that is not Facebook? 

BM Mainul Hossain, professor at the Institute of Information Technology (IIT), University of Dhaka, said, "It is a natural tendency for individuals to gravitate towards places where they have familiar connections. For instance, when Bangladeshis visit foreign countries, they often seek out fellow Bangladeshis to socialise with. Similarly, in Bangladesh, Facebook gained popularity early on, and people are already present on the platform. 

"As a result, new users find it easier to connect with others, leading to a stronger presence on Facebook compared to Instagram, Twitter, or other social media platforms," he added.

Another reason for Facebook's popularity in Bangladesh is its versatility as an app, Hossain further said. 

"Platforms like Twitter and Instagram have word limits, whereas Facebook allows users to post photos [similar to Instagram], short posts [like Twitter], or even long-form blogs [similar to a blog site]. This multifunctionality of Facebook appeals to Bangladeshi users, contributing to its widespread usage in the country," he explained.

Tuhin Khan, a researcher and writer who works with social media culture and trend analysis, suggests that Facebook's popularity in Bangladesh surpasses other social media platforms because of language. 

"The Bangla-speaking community on Facebook is big, while Instagram, Twitter, and Threads predominantly cater to English-speaking users. Additionally, a significant Bangladeshi e-commerce market thrives exclusively on Facebook. These factors collectively contribute to Facebook's unparalleled popularity in Bangladesh," he explained.