Threads is outpacing Twitter after finally getting a Following feed
Date:
Tue, 25 Jul 2023 21:12:23 +0000
Description:
Threads is finally getting one of its most requested features, and could soon be a real threat to Twitter.
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Threads, the Instagram-based social media app, is finally getting a long-awaited new feature thats sure to make it much more inviting to current and new users.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the news on his Instagram broadcast
channel : Threads started rolling out an option for a chronological feed of only people youre following and added translations too. This means that youll finally have a feed showing posts from people you follow, versus a feed featuring random verified users.
Youll need to have Threads installed on your phone and update to the latest version, which is version 293 on either Google Play or the App Store, to see the new tab. Once you update, check the app and youll see For You and Following. Click on the latter and now you only see posts from followed accounts. Threads needs to get a few things right first
Adding a Following feed is one of the best and most important moves that Threads could have made, as users are near guaranteed to use and stay on the app longer if they can actually keep tabs on the people they follow and care about. Not to mention that the closer it gets to Twitter in functionality,
the better chance it has to truly compete with and eventually take the place of Twitter .
It doesnt hurt that Twitter has been constantly rolling out perplexing and terrible updates, making it nigh unusable at times, with the latest being a bizarre and ridiculous renaming of Twitter to simply X.
While this is one of the most requested features thats finally gotten implemented, there are still plenty of tools that Threads needs to be
properly fleshed out. First, it needs Direct Messages, as theres no way to privately contact other users on the app. Users will go to other sites for
the feature and limit time spent on Threads.
Second, Threads needs a Trending tab, as it allows users to stay informed about the latest news, world events, social issues, and popular discussions. And while this feature can often cause arguments across the Twitter platform, it also vastly increases engagement and site retention, which are right now very much needed for it to survive long-term.
It also needs proper search, as right now you can only look up other accounts and not general topics, making it harder to curate timelines. And finally, Threads badly needs a desktop mode in order to boost its dwindling
engagement, as the mobile-only strategy that worked well for Instagram doesnt seem to be working nearly as well for Threads.
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/social-media/threads-is-outpacing-twitter- after-finally-getting-a-following-feed
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