Adam Mosseri, Instagram chief, has said that Threads is a “less angry place for conversations.” (Image: News18)
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has made claims that suggest that Thread may not compete with Twitter, at least not in terms of the content that is shared on the platform, as it will not encourage hard news or political discussions.
Meta’s Threads app, which has been touted as a direct competitor to Elon Musk’s Twitter, was launched to much fanfare earlier this week. However, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has made claims that suggest the app may not compete with Twitter, at least not in terms of the content that is shared on the platform.
In a Threads conversation with The Verge, Meta’s Adam Mosseri stated that Threads will not encourage hard news or political discussions. He said that the “incremental engagement or revenue” generated by these topics would not be worth the integrity and security risks.
And, hence, Mosseri said that Threads’ “goal isn’t to replace Twitter,” but to “create a public square for communities on Instagram that never really embraced Twitter.” He notes that Threads is a “less angry place for conversations.”
Mosseri added, “Politics and hard news are inevitably going to show up on Threads – they have on Instagram as well to some extent – but we’re not going to do anything to encourage those verticals.”
Furthermore, as has been clear, Meta—as a whole—has been attempting to move away from news. “We are also looking at things like comments on posts to help determine whether a post is political in nature and taking steps so people don’t see several posts about politics in a row,” Meta said last year, in a blog post.
It is worth noting that major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and BBC have already established a significant presence on Meta’s newest platform, and discussions about politics and hard news are already taking place.
It is also undeniable that the large number of Instagram users who have decided to try Threads may not be interested in its “hard news” content. Most people may see it as a way to stay connected with friends and family, and given Instagram’s recent focus on Reels and entertainment—it may not be seen as a political platform.
