Meta’s latest app, Threads, may be a Twitter/X competitor and may not want political content on its platform, but it’s going to be there anyway – at least that’s what Threads’ search trends suggest. The app began testing its Twitter-like trending feature with a small group of U.S. users last month, but based on user reports, it’s now more widely available to Threads’ global user base on desktop web and mobile devices . By extension, the topics Threads users talk about the most are actually political.
As of this writing, three of the top five search trends on Threads are related to President Biden’s State of the Union address, including reactions to the speech itself, as well as Republican responses and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s questioning.
Image Source: Topic screenshot
The fact that SOTU addresses dominate the Threads trend shows that when you give users a real-time platform like Twitter where they can react quickly through short text posts, they are likely to use the platform to talk about what happened that day any news. Thursday’s SOTU invited many comments, with Biden tending to spark discussion on polarizing issues such as abortion rights, gun control, taxes, borders and crime.
Over the years, however, Meta has tried to distance itself from politics on its platform, as it has withstood criticism for favoring one side or another. In 2016, the company made changes to Facebook’s feed that prioritized posts from family and friends over news. In 2022, it even renamed News Feed to “Feed.” The company has admitted in the past to uncovering multiple Russia-linked disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing U.S. elections.
Recently, as the United States approaches election season again, Instagram announced that it will no longer “proactively” recommend political content on Instagram or Threads. This has made many users who come to Threads feel uneasy, especially after Elon Musk took over the company, they hope to gain access to A Twitter-like experience. The platform is now called X. Creators who post content about laws and legislation, elections, or other political and social issues are not happy with the change.
But one area where Threads hasn’t suppressed politics yet is its Trends feature.
Of course, how long Threads allows political content to remain in its Trending section before it is replaced by non-political content is an area we intend to watch closely.
