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US Users Ready To Test The Latest Potential Update!
So, now that the Threads team has devised a way to limit potentially inflammatory political debate in the app, it is launching a live test of Trending Topics to a select group of users in the United States.
Post by @zuckView on Threads
According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the Threads team is still working out the details, but there will be a version of Trending Topics within Threads called “Today’s Topics” soon, which will allow users to engage in more conversations of broad interest in the app.
According to Meta, AI will select its “timely topics” list depending on how users interact with the program. Threads promises a level of personalization to avoid issues that violate its Community Guidelines. But, ideally, the listing will reflect relevant conversations and allow others to connect with them.
Which Threads truly needs in some way.
Threads vs Twitter/ X
While Meta intends to take a different approach to real-time social in the app, ideally making it a more positive experience than Twitter was (and is now), a key component of Twitter’s appeal was the ability to tune into the discussion around any event as it happens, which is especially useful for live TV show-related discussion and sports engagement.
Threads will be unable to compete with X for in-the-moment engagement until it facilitates more active debate around such topics. It also raises the question of what the app’s purpose is if you cannot engage in fast-moving, as-it-happens criticism.
At the same time, Meta does not want acrimonious political discourse to take over, so it stated late last week that it will soon make political content opt-in by default, which will unavoidably limit conversation on some of the more contentious issues.
As another way to curate a more positive experience on the app, Meta will likely want to keep a tight grip on what makes it onto its Trending Topics list.
Meta does not directly state that it will interfere with its AI-recommended trends, although it does note that:
“Our team of content specialists will ensure that topics do not violate our Community Guidelines or other applicable integrity guidelines, and that topics are not duplicative, nonsensical, or misleading.”
So there will be some “customization” of what’s popular in the app.
Which ‘freedom of expression’ supporters will attempt to use as a whip against Meta and its apparent pro-censorship leanings. Meta faced similar criticism in 2018 for its display of popular topics on Facebook, which it removed. But, as mentioned over the weekend, Meta is really attempting to lean into what its data suggests that its users want, with Facebook and Instagram interaction increasing over the last year, while intentionally reducing the effect of news material across both applications.
Based on this and continuous user input, Meta believes that consumers prefer less debate and more positive material. As a result, it’s less about censorship and more about entertainment, though it is unavoidably an accusation Zuck and Co. will face, particularly during election season.
To be clear, the Threads team has stated that political issues would be considered for inclusion on its Timely Topics list. However, by opting all users out of political content unless they specifically change a setting, the possibility of political themes getting traction to be displayed in this list is lessened anyway.
Final Product
The Threads team has been working on Trending Topics for quite some time, with early prototypes displaying a basic overview of the most popular talks in the app.
It’ll be fascinating to see how Threads plans to implement it, as well as how it manages hot topics over time.
While the motivation for Threads’ political news stance is understandable, it is also likely to have an influence on the company’s overall involvement. Again, real-time discussion is what drives engagement on X, and if Threads tries to court the same audience while limiting certain features, it would most certainly fail.
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