Another test being released by Meta’s Threads may resolve a significant and continuous complaint over the service. In a post, Mark Zuckerberg said that the business is testing letting users make the non-algorithmic “following” feed their default.
Users have asked for the option to make their “Following” feed their default feed ever since Threads launched last year. After more than a year, Threads is now testing whether users can do so.
On Monday, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, who is also the owner of the social network Thread, said that the social network is now experimenting letting users select their default feed as either For You, Following, or a personalized option.
Zuckerberg also said that the update will let users choose any feed as their default, including the recently revealed custom feeds. Longtime Threads users, however, will probably be glad to see that “following” is now their default view. Thus far, Meta has directed users to its “for you” algorithmic feed, which has been criticized for its issues with engagement bait and its remarkable capacity to display a variety of weird messages from complete strangers at the top of users’ feeds.
The launch follows Threads’ days after the rollout of bespoke feeds, which let users customize feeds based on user profiles or certain subjects. Threads may now compete with Bluesky, a decentralized social network that enables users to create their own lists, feeds, and algorithms, thanks to the tool.
At a time when many X users are switching to Bluesky, which now has more than 20 million users, Meta has been updating Threads rapidly. Recent updates to the app suggest that Meta is trying to prevent users from switching to Bluesky by listening to their opinions and providing them with what they want.
In response to Instagram head Adam Mosseri’s announcement post, some users expressed their displeasure: they just want the option to set my Following feed as my default feed. Last week, the platform introduced changes to surface more content from people you follow in the app’s “For You” algorithmic feed.
Users now have the choice to do so after a few days. Zuckerberg expressed his interest in seeing how and whether people utilize this in his announcement post.
According to a Meta representative who emailed TechCrunch, the new functionality is being made available to a limited number of customers.
With over 275 million monthly active users, Threads has a solid user base, but Bluesky is becoming a bigger competitor. In terms of daily active members, Bluesky is catching up to Threads, according to data from market research firm Similarweb. If the social network can maintain its current growth rate, it may eventually overtake Threads.
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