Threads has been making all the right decisions when it comes to making the platform a suitable alternative for X, but its goals go far beyond being just an alternative. Meta wants the microblogging site to take over the top spot.
Threads Being Number One
Instagram Head Adam Mosseri revealed its ambitious plans for the app, and it is actually attainable. Given that Threads has been getting new features to make it a better platform for everyone, it might become the preferred site for public conversations soon enough.
During an AMA, Mosseri was asked what success looks like for Threads a year from now. "I do think the long-term aspiration is to be the de facto platform for public conversations online, which is about cultural relevance as much as it is about the overall size of Threads," he responded.
He did admit that X, formerly Twitter, still holds the top spot for being the largest public conversation platform. However, given the optimistic prospects of Threads recently, believes there is a "chance of surpassing them," as reported by The Verge.
X has been around for years and has already amassed over 500 million monthly active users, but things are looking up for Threads. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the new app is already close to reaching the 100 million mark for monthly active users.
Just recently, Threads added two new features to the app such as polls and the ability to add GIFs to a post. Before that, it added an edit button, which is a paid feature in the X app. Meta included a timer that lets users know how long they can edit the post before it's permanent.
Adam Mosseri expressed that the team is trying to focus on "improving the core experience every week," and that little by little, they think they can "build the momentum to get there." Speaking of new features, "some version of hashtags" might also be on the way.
With that kind of feature, users will have an easier time finding certain topics that they're interested in. However, the Instagram head believes that it's not a change that will have a "meaningfully change the trajectory of the app."
There's One Setback
It makes sense that Meta wants to promote Threads by including posts on ots other apps for exposure. However, the company is going about it in the wrong way by adding Threads posts on Facebook without the option to take them down or opt-out.
This has already been practiced by the company. After all, several Instagram reels are mixed in with Facebook reels when users scroll through them, and opening the comment section of cross-posts will take the users to the Instagram app.
Meta missed the fact that some people behave differently in Threads than they would on Facebook. As mentioned in Engadget, Threads users might not want their posts to appear to their Facebook friends.
The Threads posts appear in their own section called "For you on Threads," wherein Facebook users can swipe through to read them. When asked how to take them down, Meta responded saying that they are "listening to feedback like yours as we continue to build on this."
