Despite Meta's recent decision not to recommend political content on Instagram and Threads, the company has confirmed that it will not suppress politically-themed topics unless they violate guidelines. The new feature is not personalized to individual users, so it does not fall under the political content purge from recommendations. This move could make Threads more competitive with rivals like Twitter by helping users find timely conversations and debates on the platform. The level of human oversight for the topics section is yet to be determined.
Key takeaways:
- Meta is testing a new trends feature called "topics" on its Threads platform, which could potentially surface political content despite the company's recent decision not to recommend such content.
- The topics, determined by Meta's AI systems, will be based on what people are engaging with on Threads and will be surfaced on the Search page and in the For You feed.
- Meta's team of content specialists will ensure the topics are not in violation of the site’s Community Guidelines and other integrity policies, and users will also be able to flag potentially problematic content.
- The new feature could make Threads more competitive with its rival X (formerly Twitter), as it could help users seek out timely conversations and debates on the platform, giving the app a more real-time feel.