Instagram Threads Is Working On Surfacing Trends
Instagram Threads is working to adopt another Twitter/X feature: Trends, the company confirmed. In response to a user of the app, Instagram head Adam Mosseri noted that such a feature is in the works, replying that "we're working on trends" — a feature that would give X a more competitive offering. Terms to provide access to more real-time news and information.
Threads, to date, have been criticized by some who have prioritized the app's "for you" algorithm over creators and posts they don't follow and care about. It also often shows old posts, making the app feel stagnant More recently, users complained that Threads was recommending low-quality content, which the company said it was fixing. Complaints surrounding algorithm flaws could potentially be reduced with the introduction of a Trends feature, as it would tap into popular topics and discussions taking place in the app, giving people a new way to find interesting and relevant conversations.
TechCrunch previously reported that Instagram Threads was working on Trends last October when a Threads user spotted accidentally the feature in a screenshot posted by an Instagram employee. At the time, the feature included a numbered list of trending topics as well as how many "Threads" were actively discussing on each item.
Unlike X's Trends, the thread's trend list that appeared in the leaked screenshot is not available in X with other trend lists by topic, such as news, sports and entertainment, or a list of trends that does not appear to be personalized for the end user. Instead, it shows a simple list of active discussions — like the release of Disney+'s “Loki” Season 2, or Billboard's Latin Music Week, which was popular at the time.
Despite user demand for trends in threads, the feature can be potentially problematic — especially if trends are curated algorithmically, rather than by human editors or human oversight. Bad actors can take advantage of the trending feature to make a particular topic or tag go viral, even if it's inappropriate or toxic. Spammers can use a trending feature to flood a topic with their unwanted posts. Given that threads are still managed by a small team, relative to the size of Meta, introducing trends into threads adds another layer of complexity to the app and another surface for potential damage.
Mosseri didn't say when Trends would launch in the thread, but a screenshot from reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi shows a different version of Trends that has been renamed "Today's Topic". However, it is not clear how the trends will look when it goes public.
Instagram Threads recently introducing some new features including ‘Hide Likes’, Instagram DM Integration’. Recently Threads became the most downloaded app on Play Store and App Store.
