Threads is looking to keep up with its competition by instituting a change that will give its users more control over the content they see. In a post on the Meta-owned X rival, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri announced that Threads is “rebalancing ranking to prioritize content from people you follow.”
Initially, the Threads recommendation engine operated similarly to the current Instagram algorithm by promoting posts from accounts users don’t follow. In theory, that organizational heuristic encouraged the organic discovery of relevant content.
The focus on discovery has worked wonders for TikTok, but one of Threads’ more direct competitors has flourished by moving away from that approach. Bluesky, the decentralized X alternative initially backed by ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has won over users by granting them more control over the algorithms that dictate their feeds. One of Bluesky’s biggest DAU upticks came after it showed off a Super Bowl Sunday feed that had been customized to include no mentions of Taylor Swift.
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Bluesky has also surged in response to unpopular X policies instituted by current owner Elon Musk. Musk’s central role in the reelection of Donald Trump brought millions of new users to Bluesky in the days following the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Meanwhile, Threads has lost some of its momentum since a promising start.
Threads wants to be a viable X alternative as well, so it’s shaking up its feeds to give users the Bluesky-style experience they seem to desire. “For you creators out there, you should see unconnected reach go down and connected reach go up,” Mosseri wrote. “This is definitely a work in progress – balancing the ability to reach followers and overall engagement is tricky – thanks for your patience and keep the feedback coming.”
The big question is whether Meta will bring similar changes to other owned-and-operated platforms, or if it will keep this update limited to Threads. For years, Instagram users have lobbied Meta to undo the “TikTokification” of the app and return to its simpler, followers-first layout. Even TikTok itself is starting to put user choice ahead of algorithmic discovery. Threads follower lists are already linked to Instagram; will the two platforms wind up with the same feeds, too?
This topic has ramifications that go beyond user choice. As Patreon CEO Jack Conte noted in his response to Mosseri’s Threads post, creators need follows to matter so that they can connect with their fans. “If you can’t reach your followers then you can’t build community and you can’t build a business,” Conte said.
Conte believes that a mix of follower-based recommendations and algorithmic discovery is Meta’s best way forward (and Patreon currently offers a similar balance.) Mosseri, Mark Zuckerberg, and the rest of Meta’s higher-ups might not heed that advice, but if they want to keep up with Bluesky, they should give Threads and Instagram users the control they crave.
