Mark Zuckerberg launched Threads in April 2023, and it had us stitched to our screens in the first few weeks. The app rivals Elon Musk's X app with a surprisingly minimalist user interface. Initially, it didn't support all the superficial features, like hashtags.
Months later, the app's interface is slowly developing. You can now use GIFs, a search functionality, the platform’s web version, and now a Trending Now menu. In a recent update, the Threads app has added the ability to view up to five hot topics. Here's more on how it works.
Threads’ Trending Now Feature Is Really Just X's Trends For You
Threads has launched a new feature, Trending Now. It's been under testing since February and has now arrived on the platform's web and mobile app versions. It bears a strong resemblance to X's Trends For You. Both features aim to show you what people are currently discussing the most. You can also access them from either the search page or the For You feed.
However, Threads will only show a maximum of five popular topics at a time. They'll appear under the text box in the Search menu, and you'll tap them to view related user Threads. Occasionally, you'll see them between posts on the For You feed.
As with most apps these days, Artificial Intelligence (AI) works behind the scenes to select the topics. It chooses them based on your interactions within the Threads community. For example, a major event can become a topic if there's a surge in posts, threads, likes, shares, and other engagements surrounding it.
Topics will appear the same for everyone in the US, where the feature is currently limited. Hence, there's no personalization. What's great is that you'll have a shared experience. What's not great is that you'll miss out on discussions relevant to your specific interests because they're not popular enough to make it on a hot list.
Meta's Specialists Work Alongside AI For A Compliant Community
Though AI does the dirty work of gathering in-app gossip, Meta's content specialists team still needs to review it. It's to ensure that the topics and the corresponding search results match – and, of course, to ensure that no one is breaking any rules.
Specialists do not curate topics, but they work to ensure nothing violates our Community Guidelines or Recommendation Guidelines, and that themes are not duplicative, nonsensical, or misleading.
Meta
The company also says that you can report topics. A three-dot icon beside each one reveals the option. This is a great addition if you're tired of heavily opinionated, controversial, or offensive topics ruining your experience. I've seen enough of the arguments, dragging and insults, or social issues on X. Frankly, they're upsetting.
No Word On Worldwide Trending Now Release Date
Zuckerberg hasn't told us when exactly the Trending Now feature will expand globally. However, you can follow Meta's official social media channels to monitor announcements about the widespread rollout and new features.
