New York: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled in a Threads post the launch of a new trial in the US. This trial introduces a curated list of trending topics discussed by users, reminiscent of X (formerly Twitter), which will be visible on the search page and within the For You feed. Users will enjoy the ability to explore posts related to specific topics through this feature. In addition to this, the social networking giant has announced its intention to experiment with a post-saving feature and to introduce controls aimed at restricting the recommendations of political content on Instagram Threads.
“Rolling out a small test of today’s top topics on Threads in the US. We’ll roll it out in more countries and languages once we get it tuned up…,” Zuckerberg shared on Threads.
Post by @zuckView on Threads
The “Today’s Topics” feature on Threads aims to streamline user engagement by highlighting ongoing discussions on the platform. It will be accessible on the search page of Threads and integrated into the algorithmic “For You” feed for select users in the United States.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, reveals that Threads leverages machine learning (ML) AI systems to curate its list of topics. These systems analyze the volume of discussion around a particular topic and the level of engagement with related posts.
Post by @mosseriView on Threads
Mosseri emphasizes that a team of content specialists oversees the selection of topics to ensure compliance with Threads’ community guidelines and prevent duplication or confusion. He also notes that political topics may feature on the “Today’s Topics” list and encourages users to report any topics that may violate platform guidelines.
“Our content specialists will review the topics selected by our AI systems to make sure they’re not duplicative or confusing, but by and large, we want them to accurately represent what is actually topical on Threads,” Mosseri explained in a post on Threads.
App developer Alessandro Paluzzi initially spotted Meta’s development of this feature in January, and its introduction is widely seen as a positive step. It is expected to simplify the process of discovering new posts and users on Threads, addressing a significant challenge the platform has faced since its inception. While “Today’s Topics” is currently being trialed in the US, Zuckerberg has expressed Meta’s intention to expand its availability to “more countries and languages” once refined.
