Threads Feed With Only People You Follow Is On The Way
Meta's newest social media clap back against Twitter, Threads, is officially out in full force. Whether due to users' genuine interest or simply their desire to be somewhere besides Twitter, the platform has already gained around 10 million users according to Meta head Mark Zuckerberg. While the initial reaction to the app has been positive, some users have pointed out that its interface is functionally the same as Twitter's, for better or worse. However, that may not be the case for long.
Since the release of Threads, both Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri have been responding to social posts about the app's features, both current and prospective, and putting highly-requested updates on a "list." One of these potential updates was suggested by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, who wrote, "As long as the big bosses are on here actively listening to feedback... a home feed just for people you follow would be (chef's kiss emoji)."
In response to Brownlee's post, Mosseri simply replied, "On the list." Zuckerberg also posted a thumbs-up emoji in response.
Dedicated follow view and other features
Threads' home feed works the same as Twitter's, populating with both users you've followed and posts related to your interests and hashtags determined by the platform's algorithm. A dedicated feed as Brownlee suggested would cut out the latter category, only showing posts from users that you've actually followed.
Adam Doud/SlashGear
Besides Brownlee's request for a dedicated follow view, Mosseri and Zuckerberg responded to other users' requests with similar assurances that new features are on the way. These requests include editing posts, swapping between multiple Threads profiles without needing to log out, and an auto-translate function.
Of course, Mosseri and Zuckerberg saying that such features are "on the list" is not the same thing as a concrete release date, nor does it completely guarantee that they will be implemented. However, some of Meta's other platforms like Instagram and Facebook do offer some of these features, so it wouldn't be unusual if they made it into Threads as well.
One feature that Threads' development team is eager to implement is ActivityPub integration to help users tie different platforms together. In an interview with The Verge, Mosseri said that "It's becoming rarer that a creator is completely attached to one platform because they're always worried about the risk of being overly beholden to one company that they obviously can't control. So I do think this is the direction of travel, and I think that a new app offers us the opportunity to really step into this space."