- Threads, Meta’s new app similar to Twitter, aims to avoid politics but it seems political content is trending on the app.
- Unlike Instagram, which will no longer recommend political content, Threads still allows users to discuss current events. However, it’s unclear how long Threads will allow political content to remain in its trends section.
OUR TAKE:
Political content is often sensitive yet highly discussed. Social networking platforms were originally aimed at offering space for people to express themselves liberally, but if political issues could be discussed with impunity online, some unpredictable consequences might happen. Therefore, despite Threads losing some users and data, it should set up exclusive rules aiming at political content out of social duty as a public software.
— Iris Deng, BTW reporter
Despite tring to avoid political content, it still got viral in Threads. Now the platform is concerning how to balance controlling heated discussion and liberation of expression.
Political content is getting trend in Threads, without expectation
The newest app Thread from Meta began to test its Twitter-like trends feature last month with a small group of US users, and later the testing user group expanded across both desktop web, and mobile. According to the search trends, it seems the topics that Threads users are discussing the most are political, which is the last category the platform wanted to see. Threads didn’t want politics on its platform, but the fact was the opposite of their expectation.
The latest data shows that three of the top five search trends on Threads are related to the US election, such as President Biden’s State of the Union address. It includes people’s reactions and commentaries to the speech itself, as well as the Republican response and the heckling from Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Also read: Instagram’s Threads Won’t Rival X in Breaking News, Mosseri Clarifies
Different from Instagram, Threads didn’t ban political content
More recently, as the U.S. nears election season again. Instagram, a platform under Meta’s umbrella, recently announced that it would no longer actively recommend political content. This act dissatisfied some creators since they wanted a Twitter-like experience. This shift signals a conscious effort by Meta to distance its platforms from divisive and polarizing topics, particularly as the U.S. approaches another election season.
The controversy around Meta’s handling of political content underscores the challenges faced by social media companies in balancing the right of expression liberty and polarisation. As Threads continues to feature political trends, it remains to be seen how Meta will navigate this delicate balance in the future.
“We are committed to creating a platform that fosters meaningful conversations while safeguarding against harmful content and misinformation. Our decision to limit political content recommendations aligns with this commitment and our ongoing efforts to promote a positive user experience.” a spokesperson of Meta stated.
