Meta’s much-awaited Twitter rival, Threads, made its debut recently and has already amassed over 23 million signups. The app bears a strong resemblance to Twitter, but it lacks a crucial feature: a feed that exclusively shows posts from people you follow. At present, the app has a single feed that displays posts from both followed and non-followed users, unlike Twitter, which offers a “Following” feed and a “For You” feed.
Following Feed Feature on the Horizon for Threads
Responding to requests for a Following feed on Threads, Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed that it is “on the list” of features that the platform plans to introduce. Mosseri’s comment came in response to a post from YouTuber Marques Brownlee. Given that both Twitter and Instagram offer a “Following” list view in addition to the default algorithmic feed, it seems logical for Threads to incorporate this feature as well.
Additional Features and Improvements in the Pipeline
Mosseri also mentioned other features that are “on the list,” including the capability to switch between different Threads accounts and the option to edit posts. He acknowledged that the app still lacks several basic functionalities, such as the ability to search hashtags. Interestingly, while users have requested the ability to double tap to like a post, Mosseri explained that Meta attempted to include this feature, but it conflicted with the need to tap on a thread to open the full thread.
Threads: A New Social Media Platform with Instagram Integration
Threads allows Instagram users to sign in with their existing credentials to post brief updates, including text up to 500 characters, links, photos, and videos up to five minutes long. Threads is available on iOS and Android in 100 countries at launch, excluding the EU, reportedly due to concerns about complying with local data privacy regulations.
Threads to Support ActivityPub Protocol
While the Twitter rival Bluesky, backed by Jack Dorsey, has been gaining traction recently by leveraging its own decentralized protocol, the AT Protocol, Instagram’s new app is set to offer support for ActivityPub — the same social networking protocol used by open-source Twitter rival Mastodon, along with other federated apps. To use Threads, users need to authenticate using their current Instagram login credentials, and the app will populate with their existing account details, including name, username, photo, and followers. Verification will also be transferred to the new app.
